RWBY: New World Hope
by The Quebec
Summary: One day, I came across the rather troubled spirit of a knight whose name had been long forgotten. I didn't think much of the encounter upon being greeted by the somewhat strange being at the time. Though this fateful encounter would come to change not only the fate of this world but the fate of those around us. (SI)
1. New Beginnings

_**Well now...It sure has been some time. The last real update I gave all of you was months ago, some even believed that this story would not see to an ending like I originally promised.**_

 _ **Though enough of that, you all deserve to know the full story of what happened. What happened to cause such a long hiatus.**_

 _ **To put it simply, in the month of April I believe, I came down with a condition known as Mono. I'm still battling the condition even as this chapter comes out. I've had this condition since the month of April, and have only shown slight improvements.**_

 _ **I sleep for most of the day, which made it difficult to do anything. So you could imagine what being cooped up in my room for six months did for my mental health.**_

 _ **I was and still am fighting depression, though the battle has gotten easier now.**_

 _ **However, during that time, I've had time to do one thing. The only thing I could do for that matter, aside from watching television and playing games. That being thinking.**_

 _ **I've had a lot of time to think. I've had time to think about the direction in which this story was going, as well as time to think about my own idea for an original work I've been working on.**_

 _ **These thoughts are what triggered the desire to do a reboot. I wanted to do better, I knew I could do better with what I've been thinking of. Though I didn't want to completely erase the original, as some of you have told me that you wish for it to remain untouched.**_

 _ **Though this will no longer be a story that takes place within the RWBY canon. This is my interpretation of what was already established, as well as me ironing out the rough edges.**_

 _ **I also wish to give characters who did not originally have time to shine a chance in the spotlight.**_

 _ **So yeah, that's basically what happened. Nothing too grand, it was just a simple case of health issues preventing me from updating the story I have created.**_

 _ **Though I think you've heard enough, it's time to begin the reboot of the story some have you have grown to know, while some may be experiencing this journey for the very first time. Now the time has come to tell an old tale with a more professional title "RWBY: New World Hope"**_

 _ **Let us begin the old, but a more improved journey. Old faces will appear, as well as brand new face's.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **New Beginnings**_

Darkness, that was the first thing I saw when I awoke from my slumber. I wasn't sure if I was in purgatory or hell, as I don't believe Heaven had a lot of darkness on its peace driven lands.

I was hoping for purgatory, as I wasn't exactly to keen on the idea of eternal suffering and damnation. I wasn't a bad person per se, though I wouldn't consider myself a good person by any means.

Though that's another story, one that I wish to put behind me.

I've been laying in the darkness for what seemed like hours, maybe even days. Time tends to escape you when you're laying in a room when the only thing you can see is the darkness and depth of the void.

Might have been longer for all I know, who knows?

All I know is that I'm probably gonna be here for a very long time.

How did I get stuck in such a strange set of circumstances you may ask? Well, considering I have nothing but time at the moment, I suppose I can tell you about how the good old leaders of our world decided they wanted to cause the end of the world.

I don't really know the full story of how this little war happened, as these details tend to rise after the dust had settled. Though in this case, I didn't really get to see the end of the war.

I can only assume it was like most wars, one guy decided to mess with another guy, and that said person didn't really really appreciate the gesture, so he decided to fire back at the one who wanted to pick a fight.

The whole thing continued to escalate beyond anyone's control, and the people who put them in power had to pay for the actions they made. Only this time, there was no cleaning up the mess that they made during the whole conflict.

So yeah, that's what I assume what happened. I could be wrong, though who really knows? Not me.

Don't really know what to tell you, I wasn't really on good terms when it comes to authority. Though it's not like I had that much a decision in that matter, then again I did sort of escalate it...

Though it doesn't really matter now, seeing as I'm dead now. At least I think I'm dead that is, I've never actually died before so I can't exactly know if this is what it's supposed to feel like.

 _ **"Hmm?"** _Suddenly, I heard a voice in the distance of the void, causing me to shoot up from where I was laying down.

"..." I darted my head around the empty darkness that was the Abyss, desperately attempting to find the source of the voice. Suddenly, I could see a white light coming towards me, white sparkles coming off of the bottom as it moved towards me.

As soon as I was able to get a better view of it, I saw that was some sort of floating sphere wrapped in some sort of white aura.

"What in the-?" I began, only for the sphere to cut me off mid-sentence.

 ** _"Finally!"_ **It said as it moved towards me at surprising speeds. It continued to dart around me as if it were examining me, though, after a few moments of these movements, it finally settled in front of me.

 _ **"I finally found you!"** _It said to me.

The voice was distinctly male, so I can only assume it was male.

"You were looking for me?" I asked, was really the first question to come to mind as I had quite the number of questions running through my head.

 _ **"Indeed. The sole reason I came to this place was to look for you."** _The voice said.

"What is this place exactly?" I asked. "From the looks of it, all that's around here is just nothing really." I inquired, moving my head around the void to make sure we were actually in a place of nothingness.

 _ **"You aren't too far off from the truth**_." The voice said. _**"Though enough of that, for now, I wish to strike a deal with you."**_ He said.

Yeah? So why the hell should I trust you? You're just this small floating ball of light that I just met a few minutes ago." I asked, pushing the question of where we are to the back of my head for now.

 _ **"I understand your caution, though you might find the conditions of this deal to be quite beneficial on your part."**_ The Ball of Light said.

"...Go on." I said, wanting to at least know what I'll be getting out of this deal of his.

 _ **"The deal is quite simple. I wish to bound my soul to your own. In exchange, I will grant you great power, as well as bring you to a world not plagued by ruin."** _It said.

"...Run that by me again?" I asked, wanting to make sure I heard the conditions of the deal correctly.

 _ **"I understand that the conditions of the deal are quite...strange."**_ He said.

"That's a hell of an understatement! Let me get this straight. You want to bound your soul with my own?" I asked.

 _ **"That is correct."**_ He said.

"Alright, what's the catch?" I asked, crossing my arms in suspicion.

 _ **"I don't follow."** _He said.

"There's no way you would do this out of the kindness of your heart, especially for a total stranger!" I said to the ball of light.

 _ **"You've known me for ten minutes."**_ The Ball of Light pointed out.

"Not the point. I don't see how this benefits you in the slightest, and you even said that this deal would benefit us both." I said with one of my eyebrow raised.

 _ **"...Not bad. Not bad at all."**_ He said. _**"You would be correct, there is something I wish to gain from this bargain."** _The Spirit said.

 _ **"That would be to leave this wretched place once and for all."**_

"Come again?" I asked.

 _ **"Unfortunately, I cannot leave this realm on my own. I am forever bound to it. You, on the other hand, are able to leave whenever you please."**_ He said. " _ **So once I will** **bound** **my soul to your own, I will finally be able to escape the Void."** _He explained.

"The Void?" I asked.

 _ **"Ah, yes I suppose I should explain what this realm we reside in is exactly." He said. "You see, this plain of existence is known as the Void. A realm between the cracks of reality."**_ The Ball of Light said.

"Alright, well how exactly did I get here?" I asked.

 _ **"Simple. I brought you here."** _He said.

"How did you...Wait, then I'm not dead?!" I asked, a wave of relief washing over me.

 _ **"Of course not. Whatever brought you to that conclusion?"**_ The Ball of Light asked.

"Well, when you wake up to nothing but a pitch black void, you tend to think that life finally decided it was your time," I said.

 _ **"Terribly sorry for the inconvenience."**_ He said.

"Right. So why me of all people? Aren't there like, billions of people to choose from? Surely there must have been more qualified candidates to strike this deal with." I said.

 _ **"You are not the only one I considered to offer this deal with. It's just that with the recent war on your world, most of the candidates perished."**_ The Ball of Light explained to me.

Though before I could continue to question the strange being, I could hear a faint roar from the distance, causing both of us to be alert of our surroundings.

 _ **"There isn't much time! We must make haste! Do you wish to accept the deal or no?!"** _He asked.

I stood there in silence as I contemplated whether or not I wanted to take this little spirit up on the deal.

 _ **"Be warned, if you do accept my offer, then there will be no going back. You will not be able to return to the place you once called home.**_ " He said.

.

.

Well, it's not like there's really a home or family to go back to. The people who decided to go to war with each other made sure of that. Besides, I still have a promise that I intend to keep, no matter what I have to do.

"So how exactly are you gonna send me to this place?" I asked.

 _ **"Grab the Ball of Light."**_ He said.

"Kind of thought this was you," I said as I grabbed the ball of light, revealing the silhouette of a giant of a man dawned in armor and various accessories. This caused me to stumble back in surprise, as well as causing the silhouette to disappear from sight.

 _ **"Of course it isn't."** _The unknown being said.

"...Who are you?" I finally asked as I grabbed the orb once again.

 _ **"My name is Shade, and I am what is known as a Spirit."** _The newly named Shade introduced. _**"Who might you be?"**_ He asked.

"The names Brandon," I said with a smirk.

Suddenly, the wind started to pick up around us, the air forming a white dome around the two of us.

 _ **"It is time for us to go! The contract has been forged!"** _Shade said as the wind started to howl around us, the light glowing even brighter than before. _**"May you survive the trials that await for you!"**_ He said to me.

The light became blinding to the eye, the wind roaring around us as if we were in the eye of a hurricane. Then, without warning, the darkness consumed me and Shade's voice faded into my mind.

 _ **...**_

The World of Remnant, a world consumed with creatures of the darkness that have plagued humanity ever since it's birth into this cruel and unforgiving world. All life was said to come from the same two creators of ancient times.

Long ago, the Gods of Old created this world long ago. The Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the Land, the Skies, and the Seas...even humanity are all bound together as one. However, where there is life, there will also be those who bring nothing but ruin.

That is the purpose of the Creatures of Darkness that roam the world, to destroy the life that was created long ago. They are called many things.

Monsters, Beasts, Devils. Though they all share a single name by the people who reside in this world. They are known simply as the Creatures of Grimm, the enemy of all life in the world of Remnant.

"General Ironwood!" A woman clad in a grey uniform yelled over to a black and grey-haired man in a rather professional looking uniform. "We're getting reports of another Grimm assault in the Southern Part of Atlas!" She said.

The room was filled with the various staff of army that was formed by James Ironwood, the General of the Military that defends of the Kingdom of Atlas. The kingdom in question is known as one of the Four Kingdoms that are a safe haven for the monsters that roam the land.

"Put it up on the screen!" The man known as General Ironwood said, causing her to nod and put the reports onto the screen in front of him. The woman nodded and put the reports up on the screen for everyone in the command room to view.

Once they saw the results, the chatter from within the room only grew more frequent. This report told similar results as the last one that came in only mere moments ago.

 _'I don't understand. This shouldn't even be possible.'_ Ironwood thought to himself as he slammed his hand onto the desk. The results were clear as day for everyone to see. The Creatures of Grimm, while dangerous, did not possess the same level of intellect as humans did. This is what allowed humanity to advance the way it did.

However, the reports that were being shown on the screen were not the normal behavior that the Grimm show. They weren't just getting smarter, they were getting more clever.

They were using strategies, planned attack's and even targeting major checkpoints that were set up by the military of Atlas. The Grimm have shown to get smarter as time went on, though this level of planned attack was abnormal.

"It's the same as before." One of the staff said.

"Any news from the team placed Oslo?" Ironwood asked as he pulled up the map of the continent of Solitas.

"...All good sir! They were able to propel the threat surrounding the area!" One of the men said.

"Excellent! Tell them to hold the front lines!" He commanded, causing the communications team to nod and forward his orders to the team placed in the city of Oslo, one of the various capitals that Atlas held under their jurisdiction.

"What of Helios?! Were they able to propel the sudden assault on their front back?!" Ironwood asked.

"...Helios is still under attack! They're requesting reinforcements! Reports show that Troll's have made their way to the compound!" One of them said to the General.

"Send squad four to assist immediately! We cannot lose Helios!" He said.

"What?!... Are you certain?!... Okay, I will report this in at once!" One of the staff said, causing Ironwood to turn his attention towards the person in question.

"Report!" He commanded.

"Sir! You might want to see this!" She said as she put the new problem that has risen up onto the screen. Once everyone gazed upon the monitor, everyone's blood froze at what they saw.

Clear as day, there was a very powerful Grimm known as Gatlinburg. It was a very powerful type of Boar Grimm, one known to completely ravage civilizations and destroy armies. The recording showed the beast galloping through the snowy tundras of Solitas.

"It seems that they are heading towards the capital of Stavanger!" One of them said. Ironwood growled and started to type a code into his console, causing a woman clad in White and Blue to appear on his screen.

 _"General!"_ The stern woman stated as she saluted the General in question.

"Schnee! Gather your team and head to Stavanger at once!" Ironwood commanded. This woman was known as Winter Schnee, one of Ironwood's specialists, a group of elite fighters made to handle situations that the average military ranks are unable to get under control.

 _"Understood! I will assemble my team and we will make our way to the capital!"_ Winter said, causing the call to be cut off.

Ironwood took the hard drive containing the reports of the recent attacks on Solitas that had come in and began to make his way towards the door leading out of the command room.

He continued to walk down the hallway until he made his way over to the elevator that would lead him to his office. For you see, not only was this man the General of the Atlas army, but he was also the Headmaster of the Academy designed to train Huntsmen and Huntresses, a special kind of warrior trained to combat the creatures that plague their world.

Though with the recent events that have happened over the past few months, something told Ironwood that they would need more than just Huntsmen and Huntresses to combat this threat.

 _'Something strange is afoot. I can only hope you have a possible course of action, Ozpin.'_ The general thought to himself as the elevator doors closed.

 _ **...**_

Meanwhile, in the content of Sanus stood a tall tower on a cliffside of the capital of Vale, a kingdom that inhabited Southern part of the continent. This tower was the communications tower for the Huntsman Academy known as Beacon.

These towers are crucial when it comes to long distance communications, as the towers themselves allow one to contact someone, even on the other side of the world. It also allows messages to be transferred across the seas more efficiently, without the risk of death amongst Couriers.

From the top of this tower stood a Silver-haired man known simply as Ozpin. Though he bore many names, this one has stuck with him through the test of time. However, that is a story for another time.

Right now, the Headmaster currently had his hands full with all of the recent Grimm assaults on the various settlements that surrounded the kingdom of Vale. They had been dealing with the sudden spike in the beast's intelligence for quite some time, though recently they had been dealing with the issue of more powerful types of Grimm appearing within the world of Remnant.

The Headmaster in question needed to send as many Huntsmen as he could in order to propel such threats, all while keeping the kingdom protected from planned attacks by the beasts.

 _"Things have been getting out of hand, Ozpin."_ A blonde woman in glasses stated to the man. This woman was known as Glynda Goodwitch, the Combat Instructor of the Academy, as well as one of the school's most well trained Huntress's.

"I am aware," Ozpin said as he shuffled through various piles of papers that were placed onto his desk. "I am doing what I can to propel this crisis at hand, though the protection of the Kingdom, as well as the Relic, is our top priority." He said.

 _"Do you believe the Relic's have something to do with the recent spike in the intelligence of Grimm?"_ She asked as she adjusted her glasses into place.

"No. If the Relic's had anything to do with this recent development, then they would have been targeting the Schools, not the capitals of our world." Ozpin said.

 _"Speaking of which, Qrow had recently reported in on the situation in North_ _Witch_ , _"_ Glynda stated as she pulled up the papers containing the report. _"The Will-O-Wisps have been located within the city, as well as exterminated."_ She said.

"Excellent. That's one less problem for us to deal with." Ozpin said to the women. "What of the Lake District?" He asked, typing a code into his console which caused a map of the Southern part of Sanus.

 _"Professor Arno is doing the best he can to propel the threats, though recent reports show that Gargoyles have made their way past the cities defenses,"_ Glynda stated, causing Ozpin to clench his fist.

"The Grimm were able to sneak past there heavily guarded walls and waters? I must say, this isn't good." Ozpin stated.

 _"Indeed, it seems the Creatures of Grimm are adapting faster than we anticipated,"_ Glynda said to the Headmaster. _"Do you think it is her doing?"_ The Combat Instructor asked, referring to the enemy that Ozpin has been fighting for years upon years.

"It's entirely possible. Though I do not know how she could have found such a method for this sudden evolution." He said. "Then again, it has been a very long time since I had to face her," Ozpin commented.

 _"I see,"_ Glynda stated.

"Though enough of the enemy, what of Mary's research on these Grimm?" Ozpin asked, referring to their archeologist, Mary Naturae.

 _"Unfortunately, she has not found any possible explanation for the sudden evolution of these Grimm. She seems to be rather focused on her past affiliations more than anything."_ The Combat Instructor growled.

"Peace, Glynda. You know full well that her intentions are for the good of humanity." Ozpin said.

 _"Is it, or perhaps it is to set her own consciousness at ease?"_ Glynda countered.

"..."

 _"Moving on from that, I have instructed Qrow to make his way to Castle, as well as continue his search for the culprits behind Autumn's condition."_ She informed to Ozpin.

"Excellent." He said as he reached for his cup of coffee.

 _"What of the Beasts that lie by our doorstep?"_ Glynda asked.

"Do not fret. I have sent Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port to handle the situation." Ozpin said. "Let us hope that no one unfortunate enough is wondering the forests that protect our walls." He said.

 _"Indeed."_ The Blonde Huntress stated as the connection to the call was cut off. Once Ozpin only had himself to talk to, he picked up his cane and walked over to the balcony that was placed at the very top of the towers.

He gazed upon the Kingdom he helped create with the last King of Vale all those years ago, as well as the Academy he had worked too hard to create. He gazed up to the skies he's worked so hard to protect.

The man had made many sacrifices to get to where he was today, some of which he questioned if they were truly worth the price he paid. After a few moments of silence, he shook his head and made his way back into the top of Beacon Tower.

 _ **...**_

.

.

What the hell just happened? That was the first thought to cross my mind once I started to slowly regain consciousness. I still wasn't able to move my own body, though at least I was able to form thoughts in my head.

So little by little, I suppose. I feel like my head's splitting open though, so that really isn't pleasant. Was this the result of Shade and I's soul's being bound together or was it that strange light that started to form around us once I actually grabbed that Ball of Light?

Slowly but surely, I was able to awake from my state of unconsciousness, allowing me to get a sense for my surroundings. I was in some sort of forest, one filled with lush green trees and a waterfall that came from a cliffside and into a lake.

Once I got up, I took a big breath through my nose, wanting to smell the air around me.

Well, there's no scent of copper in the air, which is a big plus because that means I wasn't just scammed then brought back to my desolate world. I looked to my right to see the water was rather clear.

...Well, I am pretty parched, haven't had anything to drink all day.

I quickly walk on over to the water and take a big scoop of it into my hands. Once I cleaned my thirst, I dunked my head into the water in hopes to get rid of the massive migraine I had.

"Whew! I feel alive again!" I said to no one in particular. Though in the corner of my eyes, I could see a strange object sitting beside the tree where I laid unconscious for lord knows how long.

"The hell's this?" I asked as I moved towards the said object to get a closer look. It was a strange mask looking object, though it was too small to fit on anyone's face. It looked like it had some sort of seal on the top as if it were holding something.

It as pitch black, while the holes where the eyes seemed to be hollowed out. It looked like it had some sort of wooden look to it, though it was clearly made out of some sort of metal.

Maybe this is Shades. Speaking of which, now that I think about it since our souls are now bound together, shouldn't that mean I'm able to talk to Shade. It's worth a try, the only thing I have to lose is a little dignity because it'll just look like I'm talking to myself if it isn't the case.

"Hey! Shade! Where the hell did you drop us off?!" I asked as I placed the strange object into my pocket.

Though the only thing I was met with was the cold sound of silence. I didn't even hear a single breath from the Spirit in question, which wasn't exactly reassuring considering he knows more about this place then I do.

"Uh, Shade?" I called once more in hopes to get a response from the Spirit, though just like last time, I was only met with the sounds of silence. "Well that isn't good, guess I'm on my own until I get some sort of response from him," I said.

Well, I guess the saying goes, if you want something done then you gotta do it yourself. Let's just hope that what I find actually gives me more answers than questions, though something tells me that isn't going to be the case.

Seeing as I was on my own for now, I began to inspect my surroundings to see if there were any abnormal happenings that could give me some clues as to where I am.

Let's see, I've already looked around the forest. What about the skies? Maybe there's something up there that can tell me where I am.

I look up towards the sky, though unfortunately, the only thing I see is a blazing sun, soft clouds, a blue sky and birds flying around the trees of the forest I was stranded in. Which were all things I could have easily found in my original world.

Hmm...Ah! That's it! Wild Life! There's bound to be some unknown creatures in this world!

As if luck would have it, I could hear the bushes rustling from behind me, causing me to spin my head to face the source of the noise. It was at this point where I realized that I also hadn't eaten anything all day.

Alright, time to go do some hunting.

I looked around the lake to see if there were any objects that could possibly be used as a weapon. I eventually settled on a decently sized stone that I was able to wrap in the palm of my hand.

With the rock at my side, I slowly started to walk towards the source of the noise, which was only getting more restless as I moved towards it, telling me that it was aware of my presence.

Though before I could continue to move any closer to the creature, I could see its blood red eyes through the leaves of the bush. A sudden chill started to go down my spine as if those beat red eyes were glaring deep into my soul.

"..." I slowly dropped the rock and began to move away from the set of red eyes, seeing the potential danger of the situation at hand. Though before I could even make it to the lake, the Beast emerged from the brush, causing my blood to freeze upon what I was gazing at.

Clear as day, in all, it's terrifying glory, was one of the Creatures of Grimm told in stories. Before me, was a creature of Grimm.

...There's no way this is real, right? I mean, that all was just fiction! There's no way in hell that any of this is actually-!

However, before I could even finish the thought, the beast roared in my direction, the air around it picking up as the beast let out its mighty war cry. So I did what any reasonable man would do in said situation.

I turned around and ran in the opposite direction, the footsteps of the Grimm thundering behind me as it gave chase. I didn't really know where I was going, and to be frank I didn't really care.

As long as it was away from the beast that was chasing me down. I did whatever I could to get away from the beast, jumping down hills and attempting to throw the beast off in hopes to shake it off my trail.

"If anyone wants to do something about this, then, by all means, go for it!" I called out in hopes for there to be someone out there. I eventually came across some sort of cliff path, and in the distance, I could see two men.

One of them had green hair and was wearing what looked like to be safari gear, while the other one was a grey-haired, mustached man with a red coat and a blunderbuss.

"Hey!" I yelled, causing the two men to look towards my direction.

Meanwhile, the two men were looking over at me with puzzled expressions on their faces. These men were known as Peter Port, and Bartholomew Oobleck, two professors at the Huntsmen Academy of Beacon.

The two looked like they were talking about something amongst themselves, which only fueled my frustration and panic.

 _Meanwhile, with Oobleck and Port._

"Peter, is that a boy?" Oobleck asked as he adjusted his glasses that were placed on his face.

"I believe it is, my friend!" Port said to the Doctor in Question.

"What is such a young boy doing out in the woods all by his lonesome? He doesn't appear to be carrying any form of weaponry." He commented. "He seems to be conveying some sort of message towards us," Oobleck said.

"Ah! Perhaps he is a fan of my various escapades! My tales reach far and-!" The Mustached Huntsman said, only for the Grimm that was chasing the young boy to smash through the stone walls, causing him to continue his escape.

"...I believe we should go and assist." Port said.

"Yes, a good plan indeed!" Oobleck stated as he and Port started to rush to the boy's aid.

 _Meanwhile, with Brandon._

Some help those two were!

I continued my escape down the cliffside as the beast attempted various methods of ambushing me. If there was one thing I noticed about the beasts that weren't exactly told in the stories that were told, is that these things were surprisingly smart.

So escape was much harder than anticipated, as this thing kept attempting to use various strategies in order to end my life. When Shade told me that he would grant me great power, he sure as hell didn't go into how to use it!

Though before I could continue to plan another form of escape, the shadows from behind me started to get bigger. I turned around to see that the beast was holding a giant boulder above its head, letting loose a sinister snarl.

I gulped and started to walk back, though I was quickly stopped by the cliffside in question. The beast roared and threw the boulder at me, though before I could even react, the silhouette of Shade appeared in front of me and pushed it's palm into the air, causing the boulder to shatter into various pieces.

It was only for a second, though the Spirit gave me a few seconds to plan out another escape route. However, the beast jumped from the cliffside and landed on the rock path that I was standing at the end of.

Alright, Brandon, how exactly did you smash that boulder earlier? Figure that out and you might just stand a fighting chance here! I tried doing everything I could possibly do in order to do that attack from earlier, whether it be mimicking the movements that Shade did, or just attempting to will it.

Though no matter what I tried, I couldn't replicate the attack from earlier.

"Damn it! Come on Shade! A little help would be-!" I began, only for the beast to pounce towards my direction. Time seemed to move slowly as the teeth of the creature of darkness grew closer and closer.

However, just as it was about to sink its teeth into my flesh, a beige blur could be seen speeding in front of it before whacking it with the mallet it wielded. This caused the beast to go flying back towards the stone wall, causing it to crack upon impact.

"Fret not, young man! The professionals will take care of this!" Oobleck said to me as he twirled his weapon around, a small flame being lit on the end of the mallet. As the beast managed to regain its bearings, the other warrior, Peter Port, came crashing down onto it's back with a mighty thud, a wave of bronze aura appearing around them in a cone shape as they made contact with the ground.

"Ho ho! The thrill of the hunt! This one is especially powerful!" Port said, jumping from the back of the Grimm and beside his ally.

"Stay back! A Beast of this level will surely bring a destructive battle!" The Doctor said.

"Indeed! Worgen's are rather formidable foes!" The Mustached Professor stated.

Oh, so that's what it's called.

The two men charged towards the Worgen, causing the beast in question to roar to the sky and rush towards the set of Huntsmen. It swung it's massive claws at Oobleck, causing him to use his mallet to jump up into the air.

Port quickly rolled around the Grimm and sliced at one of its legs with the axe on the end of his Blunderbuss. The beast snarled and quickly grabbed the professor underneath him before throwing him at Oobleck.

The Doctor in question jumped up into the air and pushes his palm outwards in attempts to catch his friend. He used the flames from his mallet to propel himself in the opposite direction, preventing them from crashing to the wall.

However, The Worgen used this opportunity to slice at the duo, causing them to split apart. Oobleck began to rapidly dodge the attacks the beast was sending its way, making for an easy distraction for Port to deal a devastating blow.

Port's aura flared around his body, causing him to charge towards the Beast in question. He slammed his fist onto the back of the Grimm, sending it sliding across the rocky ground.

Oobleck rushed towards the Worgen, dashing around him while bashing various parts of its body with his weapon. Meanwhile, Port started to charge towards the Beast in question with a determined expression plastered on his face.

The Worgen roared and attempted to slash at the Professor, though he easily parried its attacks and grabbed a hold of its arm before sending it flying into the air with its strength.

Oobleck then started to rapidly slam his mallet onto the surface of the Grimm before slamming him back down to the ground. The Worgen growled before slamming its claws into the ground and making a smokescreen of dust that consumed the area.

"Be on your guard!" Port said.

However, the two did not expect the Worgen to appear from behind them. Before the duo could react, the Worgen grabbed the two before slamming both of them to the ground with enough force to create a small crater.

The Worgen threw Oobleck towards the stone wall while attempting to crush Port with its massive hands. However, with the teacher's massive strength at hand, he was able to just barely prevent it from crushing him.

The Beast growled and slammed Port onto the ground before digging its fist into the professor in question. Suddenly, a bronze aura started to glow through the dust, and Port was seen growing in size, his muscles tearing through his shirt.

 _ **"Rah!"** _Port roared as he clasped hands with the beast, holding it in place. The wind around them started to pick up, the ground beneath them cracking under the pressure of the sheer force of the Professor and The Beast.

 _ **"Oobleck!"**_ He roared to his ally.

As the Dust cleared around the Doctor in question was twirling his mallet around in a circle, the flame surrounding it grew brighter and brighter as it made a complete cycle. Oobleck was counting upwards as his bat made a complete cycle.

"Forty-Three, Forty-Four, Forty-Five!" He muttered under his breath.

The Worgen, sensing the upcoming danger coming from the duo, attempted to shake off the professor holding him in place by rapidly headbutting his forehead in attempts to knock him unconscious.

 _ **"Aha! I live for moments such as this!"**_ Port roared, tightening his grip on the Worgen.

"Forty-Nine! Fifty! Ready!" Oobleck yelled, causing him to charge at the Beast in question. Port threw the Worgen towards the Doctor, giving him a clear shot for his attack. With one final slam of his mallet, the Doctor made a large explosion that consumed the very being of the Beast, sending it to oblivion.

As the dust settled, Port was seen reverting back to his original size while Oobleck's mallet was seen with a clad of smoke around it, the area where he had hit the monster being covered in residue.

"Ah! The thrill of the hunt! Even now the excitement only grows and grows as one gets older!" He said with a proud smile.

I stood there in complete shock, completely baffled with what I had just witnessed from the two professors. It was one thing to watch it from a screen, though another thing entirely to watch the action first hand.

"Fret not, young man! You are safe now!" Oobleck said as he collapsed his weapon back into his travel cup. Though before we could catch our breath, various other types of Grimm started to move in towards the cliffs.

"It seems our battle has attracted some unwanted attention. I suggest a tactical retreat at once!" Oobleck stated, placing his cup into one of his belt pouches.

"Sounds like a plan," I stated as I started to move towards one of the caves on the cliffside, the two professors running ahead of me.

 _ **...**_

We kept running within the caverns of the caves, doing whatever we could to not attract the attention of the Creatures of Grimm. Luckily for me, Port and Oobleck seemed to know the layout of the caves more than I did, so traversing it was much easier.

Port peeked his head out from a small crater we were hiding in to see if the monsters that were chasing us were still following our trail. Meanwhile, Oobleck had a map of the caves by his side to plan the safest route to what I hope would be the Kingdom of Vale.

"Escaping such beasts have proven to be more to be quite difficult these days," Port stated as he scanned the area for any potential threats. "Though we should have time to catch our breath for now." He said.

"Now that we have the time..." Oobleck began, looking up from the map he had. "Just what in the name of the gods are you doing out here by your lonesome?! Especially without some form of weaponry?!" He asked.

Hey, I didn't exactly ask to get thrown into a world filled with Monsters!

Never mind that, though. I should probably focus on getting out of here alive. Though the question is, what exactly do I tell them? That I came from a distant world and was transported here by some Spirit?

...That probably wouldn't go over well, at least not in this situation. Or any situation for that matter, for now, I should try to make something up before I look suspicion on their end.

"Well, I heard the kingdom of Vale was right over the mountains. Seeing as I had nowhere else to go, I thought it would be nice to stop by before I hit the road again." I told them.

"As for why I don't have any weapons, I dropped my only gun near the cliffside. I didn't have time to go and get it, so I just kept running away from that Worgen." I explained.

It wasn't a complete lie, I did lose a gun of mine earlier today. The even just didn't occur in this world is all, though we can leave that part out.

"I see," Oobleck said, though quickly caught on to a small detail of my sentence. "Hold just a moment, what do you mean-?" He began, only for the sound of a roar to be heard from the other side of the cave.

"No time! It seems that we have attracted the attention of one of the cave dwellers!" Port said as he picked up his Blunderbuss and travel bag before grabbing my hood to get me on my feet.

"Right! It's time to continue our escape!" Oobleck stated as we continued to run through the cavern. It was rather dark without any form of light, so the only thing keeping me from getting separated from the duo were their voices.

"Hmm, I believe we should be nearing an exit." The Doctor pointed out.

After a few more moments of various paths and slopes within the cave, we finally managed to see the light at the top of the hill. However, Oobleck and Port suddenly stopped dead in their tracks, as if they had sensed the danger that was looming near us.

"Time for another battle!" Port stated as he and Oobleck readied their weapons once again, causing the various boar monsters to swarm down from the ceiling. The two were handling the swarm rather easily, as they were rather small in numbers for there to be any real threat.

However, the duo noticed that the boars were being rather passive. Suddenly, the ground beneath us began to shake, causing me to turn my head towards my back to see a much larger Bull Grimm charging towards us.

"Behind us!" I yelled, causing both Port and Oobleck to turn towards my direction. The duo looked at the Bull in question, then back at the lesser monsters that it had before they suddenly connected the dots its plan.

"They're trying to block us in!" He yelled.

Alright, so these things are way smarter than I originally thought! They set this whole thing up! How the hell did they do that?! I thought they were supposed to be mindless monsters!

Though I can deal with that later! I need to make sure this thing doesn't block us in here while those two deal with the smaller ones!

Though suddenly, the small object that I picked up in my pocket began to shake, causing me to turn my attention towards it. Seeing no better plan in front of me, I quickly grab the object out of my pocket, only to see some sort of black aura oozing out of the object.

The Aura consumed the strange object as the object, turning it pitch black and giving the eyes a white glow. It was only for a second, though everyone within the cave could feel the dark pressure emanating from the object.

Before I could examine the object, the Bull attempted to trample me with its massive hooves. Slowly but surely, I could see the object open its mouth as well as some sort of handle popping out from its mouth.

I quickly grabbed the handle, gripping it tightly before swinging whatever it was the object was spitting out at the Monster. As if luck would have it, it was some sort of pale white blade.

The silhouette of Shade appeared once again with a blade of his own, mimicking my movements as his silhouette sliced the head of the Bull clean off and turning it to ashes. With this opportunity, Oobleck and Port managed to fend off most of the smaller beasts before the rest of them made a tactical retreat.

I looked behind me to see the silhouette of Shade standing before me, his eyes glowing with the same white light as before, and his expression letting off one that of a demon.

Though just as Shade had made his appearance, he disappeared just as quickly. It seemed the duo had not seen the Spirit in question, though they had seen the strange object that spat out my blade.

"Whoa." I took a sharp intake of breath, examining the blade to see if there was anything strange about it.

"Young man," Oobleck called over to me, causing my head to turn his direction. "Where did you get that?" He asked.

"To be honest, I just sort of found it. It looked pretty valuable so I thought that I could sell it for a high price." I said.

"I see..." The Doctor stated as he turned towards his ally who simply stared at him with a serious expression. "Well, time is of the essence! We wouldn't want to attract any more Grimm!" He said as he and Port started to make their way towards the exit.

Suddenly, I could feel Shade's hand lightly slap the back of my head, though considering he had abnormal strength, it felt like I was just punched directly in the back of my head.

"Ow! I was kidding, jeez!" I stated.

"Did you say something?" Port asked.

"Huh? Oh, no. Just...talking to myself." I said with a nervous smile. Port seemed to accept that answer before walking up the path leading towards the exit. I looked at the strange object, which had stopped glowing, before putting it back in my pocket.

I threw the blade over my shoulder before following the two professors out of the caves.

"Ah! Now that's quite a sight to be held!" Port commented on the edge of the cliff.

Sure enough, the kingdom of Vale was on the horizon of the forest, the tall buildings towering over the wall as well as Beacon tower shining brightly for all to see. I had never seen it, nor did I believe I would.

"Well! I suppose this is where we part ways!" Port stated, causing me to do a double take.

"Huh?!" I asked.

"Indeed! You wished to head towards the kingdom of Vale, no?" Port asked. "Now that the lovely city is on our horizon, getting there should be no problem at all!" He said.

"Ah, yes. We should make haste! Good luck to, young man!" Oobleck said before the two started to walk off, only to quickly stop once they noticed I wasn't actually going down the other path.

"Is something the matter?" He asked, adjusting his glasses into place.

"Well..." I began.

"...Ah, I see. I thought I had noticed something in our little chat of ours." Oobleck stated. "Tell me, do you even have a home to go back to?" He asked.

"..." I merely stood there in silence with a rather upset expression on my face. I wasn't exactly sad that I would never be able to return to my home, as I was sad because of the fact I had nothing to go back to.

Though that's a different story entirely, one that I wish to put behind me.

"I'll take that as a yes." He said with a rather quiet town.

We stood there in awkward silence, neither side really knowing what to do with the given situation.

"Well! We wouldn't be able to consider ourselves Huntsmen if we turned down a fellow such as yourself in need!" Port said as he walked up to me and patted me on the back. "Besides, perhaps we can make use for a fighter such as yourself!" He said.

"...Right." I said before the duo started to walk down the path.

"Come now! The Kingdom is just over yonder! We should be able to make it there before sundown!" Port said with a good-hearted laugh.

"Indeed! Now stick close to us! You never know when there will be an ambush!" Oobleck stated.

"Yeah," I said with a slight smirk.

I looked at the hearty pair before looking at the kingdom of Vale. I shook my head and started to follow the duo down the stone path.

So, this is my new life now. It sure looks like it's gonna be a strange one, though I'm pretty used to abnormalities already. I walked along the stone path with a determined expression on my face, gripping the handle of the blade tightly.

You guys may be gone, though our hopes still burn brightly, even after all that's happened.

"Ah! How foolish of us! We've yet to ask you for your name!" Oobleck stated.

"Oh. The names Brandon."

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus** ** _,_ a new chapter of our story begins.**_

 _ **Many trials are on the horizon and those who would wish to disrupt the peace plot in the shadows. Brandon, a boy originating from a familiar world now brought to the World of Remnant.**_

 _ **With only a strange object by his side, a blade, an unresponsive spirit and a promise at his side, he now goes to the crowned kingdom of Vale. There are many trials ahead, and while an old story has come to a conclusion, a brand new one begins.**_

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 _ **Big thanks to Smitten for editing this chapter, as well as possible future chapters coming. With her help, our story will play out much more smoothly.**_

 _ **If you want to check out her content, please go to her Tumblr which is fittingly titled, Absolutelyxosmittenxo.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: The Kingdom of Vale**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Ruby's Guide to The World of Remnant**_

 _ **Worgen**_

 _ **The Worgen is a subspecies of the Beowolf line that is the result of decades of evolution. It sacrifices its speed and mobility for more physical strength and durability.**_

 _ **Due to its massive power, it's hunger for blood becomes all the stronger.**_

 _ **While escaping from this beast is much easier than escaping from its descendant, facing it in combat is a different story entirely.**_

 _ **Combat Style**_

 _ **The Worgen is more ferocious than its counterpart, making fighting it all the more problematic.**_

 _ **Normal Beowolves will sense the danger of a situation before engaging in combat, though this beast will combat any living creature it comes across.**_

 _ **It stands at ten feet tall, and its claws are strong enough to punch through even the most durable of armor.**_

 _ **How to Combat**_

 _ **Fighting this beast in a team is highly recommend. Due to its size, it isn't as quick as its descendant, making its attacks much easier to predict.**_

 _ **Constant movement is key when fighting this beast, as well as a hard-hitting fighter for its thick skin.**_

 _ **King Worgens can negate the speed drawback entirely, so engage on at your own risk.**_

 _ **Stay Safe, and Happy Hunting!**_


	2. The Kingdom of Vale

**_The Story so Far... After a strange turn of events that brought our hero to the mysterious and perilous world of Remnant. Though the being known as Shade seems to be unresponsive towards the boy in question._**

 ** _Though despite being brought to a world not plagued with the Ruins of War, new threats lie on the horizon. The Creatures of Grimm grow all the more clever as the residents count down the days._**

 ** _Ones who swore to protect the people of this world now scramble in order to find a solution to this sudden problem. Though they will soon realize that the key to the problem lies within the next generation of protectors._**

 ** _A new generation that will be entrusted with the future of the World of Remnant._**

 _ **...**_

 _ **The Kingdom of Vale**_

It was a rather long journey, though after a few hours, we managed to get to the Kingdom told in stories. The Great Kingdom of Vale. Let me tell you something, we've only seen a fraction of what the city had to offer within the story it takes place in.

Though seeing it up close was something else entirely. It was rather intimidating once one sees the large walls that protect the people within the kingdom, as well as the airships that patrol the area.

Once we came to the gates that led to the kingdom in question, I had a chance to examine the outside walls. There was a large letter on the walls above the gate, indicating that this was one of the four gates that led to the city they protected.

Most of the cities in my world don't have anything when it comes to the scale of these places. I mean, it looks like they could harbor thousands, maybe even millions of people if they wanted to.

You know, they never really stated within any of the tellings of that story how many people actually died during the tragedy that happened during the festival. Though considering how many of those monsters were really in the Kingdom, I can only imagine that the body count was pretty high.

All those warriors, dying to protect a Kingdom that was doomed to fall in the end. Speaking of which, I decided to take the time to actually examine the blade on the trip to the walls.

The blade that stood atop the guard was a shade of grey, the guard in question being a shade of black. The handle in question seemed to be the same color as the Blade, only it was wrapped in some sort of strange black cloth, while the end of the sword had some sort of circle with a strange crest.

Though the most noticeable part of the blade that Shade had given me were the markings on the center of the blade. They were pretty difficult to read, though I could tell the name Shade was written on the blade.

So if that didn't confirm that this was weapon belonged to Shade, then I don't know what would. I should probably get some sort of sheath for this weapon, not exactly keen carrying this thing around on my shoulder.

However, I can cross that bridge once the time comes, as we had managed to finally arrive at the front gates of the kingdom.

"Ah! Here we are!" Oobleck stated as we arrived at the gates leading to the Kingdom of Vale. "Welcome to the Vale, young man! One of the four finest kingdoms in our world!" He greeted cheerily.

I let out a long whistle as I stared at the massive wall that stood before me. "So what now?" I asked.

"For now we must attend to some important business! So don't you go wandering off!" Oobleck instructed.

"Indeed! We shall be back shortly!" Port informed as he followed the Doctor into the walls of the building, leaving me right in front of the gate with nothing of real importance to do.

I just sat on some sort of bench that was right in front of the gates that led towards Vale. I could see various houses on the other side of the gateway, as well as various other tall buildings in the distance.

Though suddenly, I could hear sudden banter from the other side of the gate, causing me to turn my head towards the source of the noise. It caused me to wonder what sort of commotion could be happening over there.

"She did what?!" The blonde woman asked a rather tall man with black hair, giving the impression of being appalled.

"Hey, look we tried to tell her it was way too dangerous though she wasn't having any of it!" The man said. "She's the one who kept insisting on going to out into the wilderness!" He said.

"Cut the crap, Shay! This is all because you and Pace kept teasing her about this sort of thing! It's only natural that she would be pushed to do this sort of thing!" The woman called out.

"Hey! We told her we didn't mean it numerous times, Danielle! She's the one who wanted to go!" Shane defended.

"Honestly, someday you two are gonna go too far and do something you'll regret!" Danielle growled. "Once that happens, you won't be able to talk your way out of it like you always do!" She said.

"Alright, I get it! Look, let's just make sure Gabi doesn't go and get herself killed!" He said, causing Danielle to nod reluctantly.

"Fine, though this doesn't mean you're off the hook just yet!" She said as the duo rushed off into the distance.

Those two must live here in Vale, too, huh? I wonder what's going on. They seemed pretty tense about something, though it seems like a problem they'll have to deal with. If they got themselves into this situation, they can get themselves out.

...Though I can't help but wonder what the fuss was all about.

Once the thought crossed my mind I started to slowly walk towards the entrance of the gate, making sure that the sentry doesn't catch me. Though from the looks of it, his head was deep into some sort of comic book known as "Gen: Lock."

So this gave me the perfect opportunity to slip past the guard and run ahead into the kingdom of Vale to pursue the two.

 _Meanwhile, with Port and Oobleck_

The two professors had been discussing with themselves ever since they had left the caves within the forest. They weren't able to shake that brief feeling of emptiness and bleakness once they had felt it within that cave.

It was a feeling that neither of the two had ever experience before, it wasn't like the feeling of dread that the devils they fought had induced upon the people. It was...a null, numbing state of nothingness.

As if within that cave was an empty void, a being of nothingness that would swallow them whole. It may have only been for a second, though the feeling had left a lasting impression on them.

"I can't say I have ever come across anything that would give off such a distinct feeling." Port told his friend as they walked through the walls of the Kingdom. "Even after all my years of fighting the beasts around us, fate still manages to throw something that catches the world off guard." He said with a rather jovial tone.

"Indeed. Even after all my travels to various locations around our world, I have never stumbled across something like that." Oobleck agreed as he and his friend approached the communications room that was being guarded by two members of the military.

"Perhaps the good Headmaster will have a possible explanation." Oobleck pondered aloud to his comrade as he typed the code that contacted the C.C.T tower into the console. After a few moments of silence, the image of Professor Ozpin appeared on the large screen within the communications room.

 _"Ah, Professors Port and Oobleck. I take it that the patrol went well?"_ Ozpin asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Indeed it did! While the forests outside of our kingdom were littered with terrible monsters, we managed to dispatch them with relative ease!" Port elaborated to the professor with a proud expression on his face.

 _"Excellent. Hopefully, the people of Vale will be able to rest easy, knowing that the beasts that claw at their doorsteps have been detained."_ Ozpin stated to the duo.

"Though despite our reports, we did run into something - rather someone, unexpectedly during our patrol!" Oobleck revealed. "It was a young boy who was wandering around the forests that border our kingdom! With no weapon none the less!"

 _"Hmm, that is quite unexpected indeed. I assume you two were able to escort him back to his home safely?"_ The headmaster curiously pried at the duo.

"Actually, the young lad was making his way to the Kingdom of Vale already, so we brought him with us!" Port explained.

"Indeed. We do not know the details of what happened to his place of origin, though I can only assume that it had fallen due to some unforeseen complications. It is why he desired to come to the kingdom, in hopes to begin a new!" Oobleck said with a sense of pride for his kingdom.

 _"I see. Tell me, how old is this boy in question?"_ Ozpin asked.

"Well, if I had to take a gander, I would say he was around the ages of fifteen and sixteen!" The Historian answered.

 _"Hmm, that is quite unfortunate. To experience such tragedy at a young age takes quite the toll on one's mentality."_ Ozpin was internally pensive. _"I can only hope that the ones he held close to him have escaped such a cruel fate. Though if not I only pray that the gods welcome them with open arms."_ He said.

"Ah, there is no need to worry about such things! As the willpower that resides within the young lad burns bright like a raging inferno!" Port spoke triumphantly, recalling his youthful days.

"There's also more to these recent events then you may think, Professor Ozpin," Oobleck said as he adjusted his glasses that were placed onto his face.

 _"Oh? What pray tell do you mean by that, Doctor Oobleck?"_ The Headmaster's inquisitive curious expression on his face was accentuated with an arched eyebrow.

The two professors stared at one another before nodding and turning their heads back towards the screen where Ozpin was patiently waiting for the explanation to the strange events they spoke of.

"While we were on patrol, we had attracted a large pack of Boar type Grimm within the cave we were traversing through in order to reach the Kingdom." Oobleck shared the details. "Though just before we were about to leave the caves, we were ambushed by these Boar types."

"They were trying to lure us away from the entrance so that they could block us in by causing the entrance of the cave to crumble down on us!" Port stated.

 _"I see, yet another example of the strange spike in the intellect of these beasts,"_ Ozpin noted.

"However, this is not the strange event that I wish to speak to you of." The Historian admitted. "While we were attempting to fend off these beasts to make our way towards the one rushing towards the walls of the cave, the boy was actually the one to deliver to thwart their plans."

 _"I see, though how would that be possible? I believe you stated he did not have any means to combat these beasts? A boy of his age shouldn't be able to best a Creature of Darkness with nothing but his bare fists."_ The Headmaster said.

"Indeed. However, he did have a strange object on his person when we met him." Oobleck explained to the Headmaster of the Academy. "It looked like some sort of relic, though the feeling of nothingness it gave off only for a second was rather strange." He elaborated.

 _"Feeling of nothingness?"_ Ozpin asked.

"Indeed, the very concept of the relic is a contradiction. The feeling of nothingness filled the caves, yet it was as if there was something in the emptiness that staring down at us." The Doctor said. "The very thought of this relic perplexes me."

"I see." He said as he rubbed the brim of his chin.

"To make matters even more confusing, once the dust had settled within the cave, the boy had a blade by his side! It was as if he had pulled such a weapon out of thin air." Port was still in a state of shock.

 _"I assume this is what he used to strike the beast down with?"_ Ozpin asked.

"It is the most logical conclusion," Oobleck said as he adjusted his glasses.

 _"Hmm..."_ The headmaster hummed as he contemplated the story that was given to him by the two professors. _"What did the object look like?"_ Ozpin asked after a few moments of brief silence.

"Well, it looks to have some sort of a wooden surface, the wood in question being a shade of black. It had the appearance of that of a mask, only the eyes were hollowed out." Oobleck described.

 _"I see, and you are certain that this relic was the one to let loose that feeling of nothingness that both of you had felt from within the caves?"_ Ozpin asked, causing the two professors to nod in response.

 _"Hmm, I will have to do more research on the matter, as well as see this object for myself to confirm my suspicions."_ The Headmaster said once he finished pondering his next course of action. _"For now, I will contact Ms. Naturae to see if she cannot uncover the origins of this relic,"_ Ozpin said.

"Excellent!" Oobleck said as the call cut off.

 _Meanwhile, with Ozpin._

Once Ozpin had finished gathering the report given to him by the two professors, he wasted no time contacting Mary, the Academies Archaeologist. It took a few moments to get in touch with the women, as she does a lot of research throughout the nights, leaving her not a lot of time to sleep.

Though in time, the image of a blonde woman was seen on the screen.

"Good Morning, Ms. Naturae." Ozpin greeted.

 _"Is there something you want?"_ She asked in a rather raspy tone of voice.

"Can't someone check up on an old friend?" He asked.

 _"So is that a no?"_ She asked.

"No. There is a reason I have contacted you at such an early hour _._ " Ozpin told her as he adjusted his glasses. "You see, recently I have gotten quite an interesting report from Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port." He said.

 _"I take it the patrol went well?"_ Mary asked as she rubbed the temples of her eyes.

"Indeed, though during their patrol, they just so happened to come across a rather interesting fellow." The Headmaster explained.

 _"So I should care why?"_ She asked as her head wandered around her office.

"Well, this fellow has a rather particular artifact in his possession." He asked, causing her head to shoot up from her desk with the sudden mention of this artifact. "Ah, I take it I have your attention?" Ozpin asked.

 _"What kind of artifact are you referring to exactly?"_ Mary asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. Though from the way Oobleck described it, I think it's much more than a piece of treasure." He explained. "From what I've gathered, it gave off a presence of nothingness. As if it were an empty void in which there was no return." Ozpin said, going further into the details.

 _"I see."_ She said in response.

"I understand that it is rather confusing, though I have reason to believe the words of the good doctor." The Headmaster said. "Which is why I have contacted you, I wish for you to make your way over towards the Western gates of Vale in order to further study this artifact." He explained.

 _"...Alright. I'll make my way over there."_ Mary told him as she cut off the call.

Once the call with the Archaeologist had concluded, he once again made another call, only this time he started to call the combat instructor, Glynda Goodwitch.

 _"Yes Professor Ozpin? I was not expecting a call so soon."_ She said with a rather surprised tone in her voice.

"Indeed. I was not intending to bother you at such a time of urgency, though something has come up." The Headmaster explained to the woman. Once he had finished explaining the situation to the combat instructor, the Huntress in question looked at Ozpin with a rather perplexed expression.

 _"I see. That is quite unusual."_ Glynda said as she pinched her chin with her right hand. _"While I am grateful to be kept informed, I feel as if there is an ulterior motive behind this call."_ She said.

"You would be correct. I wish for you to get me a certain Fairy Tale." He said, causing Glynda to look at the headmaster with a look of confusion. "I need you to get me the Tale of the Queen and the Old One." Ozpin requested.

It took a few moments for Glynda to piece together the puzzle that Ozpin had laid in front of her, though once she did, an expression of seriousness replaced the confusion that washed over her.

 _"Very well, I will return with the tale at once, as well as stories relating to her Great Knights,"_ Glynda told him as the call was ended. Once silence filled the room, Ozpin pulled out an old photo from long ago to contemplate on old times.

He sighed before placing the photo onto his desk and taking a sip from his mug of coffee, patiently awaiting for Glynda to arrive with the tales of the Queen he spoke of.

 _Meanwhile, with Oobleck and Port._

"Let's hope that the good Professor is able to determine the origin of this particular artifact," Port said as the duo started to make their way towards the exit of the walls of Vale.

"Indeed, though only time will tell," Oobleck said in response to his comrade's statement. "For now, I believe our best course of action would be to stand by and wait for our dear Archaeologist to make her way over to our location!" He stated.

"A fine plan indeed." Port agreed as the two walked out from the doors leading to the facility within the walls.

"Young man! We have finished with our important business! Now, I'm sure you have many questions about-." Oobleck began only to see that the empty space of where the boy previously was.

"..." Both Port and Oobleck stared at the empty space with expressions of shock, Oobleck's eyes peering out from the top of his glasses while Port's eyes could be seen peering out from his eyebrows.

 _ **...**_

I had managed to finally track down the duo after following the path they took once they left the gate. From the looks of it, they were heading towards the forest outside of Vale.

Why they would want to go outside the walls without any form of weaponry is beyond me. One of them could have a powerful semblance that allows them to beat the monsters of the forest to death, though with how those two were acting when they were talking this Gabi person, I don't think that's the case.

It was a rather long trip, though I was finally able to make my way into the clearing within the forest that the two had gone to. The area where this Pace guy was waiting for the two.

When I arrived, the group in question were all interlocked in some sort of argument. Not really wanting to get in the heat of it, I decided to lay low for a little while until things started to cool down.

However, I was able to pick up some parts of the conversation.

"What?! She still hasn't come back out?!" Danielle asked as the two guys stood in front of the pathway that led deeper into the forest.

"Yeah, that's right. It's been a pretty long time, too. Can't imagine what kind of trouble she may have gotten in." The man I assumed to be Pace said, as he was the only guy next to Shay.

"No surprise there. Can't believe she actually went into the Forest Temple knowing what kind of dangers are in there." Shay said.

"No kidding. She was always a big talker, though this is something else. We tried to talk her out of it, though she was boasting, saying, "I'll show you!" That's what got her into this mess after all." Pace said.

"Yeah, though the Forest Temple of all places? Maybe we should just cut our losses and head home." Shay offered.

"How the hell could you say that?! She's our friend!" Danielle shouted. "Gabi isn't even the same age as us yet!" She growled.

"I get that, though she was the one who was always talked big. If she got herself into this situation, then she can get herself out of it." Pace explained. "Though this might be good for her, you know? It'll teach her how harsh the world really is." He said.

"Yeah? So if something happens to her in there? What are we going to do them?" She asked, only for the two to look at one another with looks of uncertainty. "Forget this! I'm going in after her." Danielle said as she started to walk on towards the pathway, only for Shay and Pace to stop her in her tracks.

"No way! You can't go in there!" Shay said.

"What if something happened to you? We already have one problem on our hands, stacking them up won't do us any good!" Pace said. "We've already possibly lost one friend because of what we did, we're not gonna lose another one!" He said.

"Are you kidding me?! Alright then, you go in after her!" Danielle said as she pointed toward's the pathway. "You two are partially responsible for this situation, now both of you are gonna take responsibility!" She said.

"You...want us to go?" Pace began as he and Shay turned their heads towards the path in question. "Into the Forest Temple?" He asked.

After a few moments of silence, the two turned their heads back towards Danielle who had her arms crossed with impatience. "You can't be serious. Just how would we make our way into the Forest Temple?!" He asked.

"We've only fought petty thugs on the street, though we've never had to deal with those monsters!" Pace said. "We'd only be making the situation worse if either of us went into the temple!" He said.

"Hmm? Who's that?" Shay hummed as he caught a glimpse of my figure from the tree I was standing behind. With my cover blown, I started to walk out of from the tree to make my presence known.

"Hey." I greeted as I started to walk towards the group in question.

"Where'd you come from? You don't look like anyone we've seen around Vale." Pace asked with his arms crossed.

I wasn't really sure what to say to the group, as I only followed the group to see what the trouble was about. We stood there in silence for a few moments before Pace started to get impatient.

"What's the matter? If you've got something to say then say it." He said.

"Yeah, no one's gonna understands what you want if you don't ever speak up," Shay said.

Not really sure what I should to next. I did overhear what they were saying about the whole ordeal with the Forest Temple, though this looks like a situation they have to figure out on their own.

"Hold on, are you a fighter?!" Danielle asked once she caught a glimpse of Shade's sword.

"Sure," I said as it wasn't a complete lie, I do know the basics of how to fight, though I've never had actual training with a sword.

"Great! Then maybe you can help us as some of us apparently aren't up for the task!" She said, turning her head to face the two men in question. "Look, my friend got lost in the Forest Temple just up ahead, and hasn't come back in a while!" Danielle said.

"Yeah, I overheard the conversation," I said. "Though look, I only wanted to see what the whole trouble was. I don't want to get involved with this sort of situation." I said as I started to walk away from the duo.

"Besides, I'm only a traveler who's just stopping by in Vale for a little while. I'd rather not have anything me keeping me from my travels." I lied as started to walk towards the path leading back towards Vale.

While I didn't really like the fact behind the situation, it wasn't anything that they couldn't solve on their own. Though before I could continue my treck back towards the Western Gate, I overheard something that piqued my interest.

"We can make it worth your while!" Danielle said, causing me to stop dead in my tracks.

"...Go on." I said with one of my eyebrows raised.

Sure, I didn't really want to get involved with this sort of situation, though if I got something worthwhile out of it then maybe it would be in my best interest to hear these people out.

"You go in there and see what happened to our friend. Do that, and we can pay it back to you!" She said.

"What?! You want him to go in there for us?! We barely even know this guy!" Pace said.

"Do you have any better ideas?!" Danielle asked, causing the duo to say nothing in response. "That's what I thought." She said as she turned towards me once again.

"You sure about this? You do know that this place is very dangerous, right?" Shay asked.

"I'm aware," I confirmed.

"...Well, if you really want to go and all, I guess we're not gonna stand in your way. Just make sure you don't drag any more trouble on your way out, The Forest Temple is full of dangerous creatures." Pace explained.

"I'll keep that in mind. So where exactly is this Forest Temple anyways?" I asked.

"She couldn't have gotten very far. The one Temple she said she was heading to isn't that far from the entrance." Pace said.

"There are multiple?" I asked.

"Yeah, was said to be made back in the old days before the kingdoms were built. The two of us tried to explore some of these temples, though we didn't get very far, unfortunately." Shay said.

"Back to the point, so the Temple you guys mentioned isn't that far from the entrance, right?" I asked.

"That's right, Gabi said she was gonna get some sort of treasure in order to prove that she was tougher than the both of us combined." Pace said. "Though this is going pretty far. I mean, if she does manage to make it out of there in one piece, then she's sure as hell got some guts on her." He said.

"I'm really sorry about this. Though I think you've got the entire picture." Danielle said.

"Yeah, we'll talk payment once I actually come back," I said as I started to walk off into the forest. In truth, this might be a good opportunity to get to know the ropes of how exactly my new found powers work exactly.

Besides, I might get a little dough doing a job like this. That ought to help me with whatever I decide to do in this world filled with monsters at every corner.

"Be careful out there!" Danielle shouted before turning towards Shay and Pace with a scowl on her face.

"If we have to pay him then it's coming out of your wallets!" She growled, causing the duo to nod their heads in agreement.

 _Meanwhile, with Oobleck and Port_

"I can't believe he just wandered off, and right after I gave him specific instructions to stay within this area until we had returned!" Oobleck outwardly panicked as he paced around the West Gate.

"Indeed, I suppose the towering architecture of Vale was too appealing to such youth," Port said with a hearty laugh.

"Do not justify his actions! There are many dangers within the city of Vale! Especially now!" Oobleck warned Port.

"Hmm, I suppose you have a point. Let us hope such youth does not have a run in with the dastardly villains of Vale." He said.

"Exactly! We still have no knowledge of what that Relic he holds is! It could very easily fall into the wrong hands!" He said, which caused the Professor he was speaking to get a rather serious expression on his face.

"I didn't think of that," Port stated as he pinched the brim of his chin with his fingers.

Though before the duo could continue to ponder on what to do next, the sound of a rather familiar voice quickly brought them back from their sudden ramble. "So I take it he isn't here then?" The feminine voice asked, causing the duo to turn to face the Archaeologist of Beacon Academy, Mary.

"Ah! Mary! I see you are fine and well!" Oobleck greeted as he adjusted his glasses.

"I only got three hours of sleep last night." She growled as she rubbed the temples of her eyes with her hand.

"Ah. I see." He said. "No matter, you would be correct! As you can see, the young man mentioned in the report has seemed to have wandered off to parts unknown!" Oobleck explained.

"Right." She quickly corrected before walking over to where the security guard was lazily napping in his chair. "Hey! You!" She shouted as she started to bang on the glass, causing the guard to fall over in his chair.

"Ah! What?!" The man asked.

"Did you see a kid around the ages of..." She began before turning towards Oobleck and Port for the answer.

"Fifteen and Sixteen," Oobleck said.

"What he said," Mary said.

"...Can't say that I have. Been busy, you know, catching up on my readings." The man said as he picked up his comic book once again.

"Right." She said before walking away to meet up with Port and Oobleck once again. "Alright, so I'm gonna need a detailed description of what this kid looks like." Mary requested the two professors with a notepad of some sort.

"Ah! Yes, of course!" Oobleck as the duo started to describe the young man's appearance from what they had remembered about him. Once the details of the boy had been sketched out on Mary's notepad, she nodded before jotting down the final details.

"Alright, I think I that should be enough detail. Tell me how accurate this is." Mary said as she held up a rather detailed sketch of the boy in question.

"Remarkable! A near picture perfect sketch of our young man!" Oobleck complimented.

"Alright I think that should be enough, now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go see if anyone around Vale has seen him." She said as she started to walk away from the duo in question.

"What shall we do to assist in the search?!" Port called out.

"Stay here in case the troublemaker comes back!" Mary said as she walked off into the distance, leaving the two behind at the Western Gate. Meanwhile, Mary flipped open the sketch in question to examine the young man that had acquired the relic.

"How the hell did a kid like this get his hands on a piece of treasure? He looks more like a street thug than an actual treasure hunter." Mary thought to herself as she examined the sketch based on the description Port and Oobleck had given her.

 _"I'll have to get my answers from the kid himself."_ She thought as she continued her walk down the streets of Vale _. "Implying he knows where the Relic came from in the first place."_

 ** _..._**

 _Meanwhile, with Brandon_

After I made my way down the path that led into the Forest where the Temple, I found myself searching around the various trees for any signs for the said temple. With no clear path, I had to follow my wits in order to find this Forest Temple, and by extension, Gabi.

Though despite having a general idea on where this Temple was, finding it still proved to be a challenge. The pathway cut off earlier before, so there wasn't exactly a clear road ahead.

Birds flew through the tree's above me, the leaves rustling as they let loose their song. I found myself gripping the blade I had acquired earlier tightly, my eyes darting around the area in search of any of the beasts that were said to roam the area.

Though while I was making my way through the Forest, I decided that I should try to summon Shade for the brief second that I could. However, all that it really amounted to was me throwing my palm out at nothing.

"You'd think the guy would at least leave me a message or something," I said to no one in particular. Ever since I had arrived here I was unable to come into contact with the Spirit in question.

Not a single word, though he was apparently aware in some regard, as he made it pretty clear that he wasn't very fond of my earlier comment about selling his little treasure for profit.

Suddenly, I could hear the sound of the leaves rustling from a bush behind me, as well as the sound of a faint growl. I turned around to face the source of the noise with a serious expression on my face.

The Beast in question was a canine-like beast that was about the size of an average predator. I felt a chill go down my spine as the beast slowly circled around me, though I quickly pushed that feeling to the back of my mind in order to focus on making out of the forest alive.

Alright, this shouldn't be too hard, I've dealt with dogs in the past. Only this one is four times as big and I've never actually actively attempted to hurt a dog. The beast roared into the sky before charging towards my direction.

I was able to narrowly dodge the oncoming attack, causing the dog-like beast to land on the ground behind me. I had to be extra careful, as a single blow from this thing would be pretty bad considering I didn't have any aura at the moment.

The beast wasted no time making another attempt on my life, though I was able to dodge the attack once again. Only this time, it followed up with a flurry of bites and scratches that was sent my way.

I just barely dodged each attack, allowing me to get a solid strike at its figure with my newly acquired sword. It seemed to do some damage, though the eyes of the beast glowed blood red before it whipped its tail in my direction, causing me to go flying across the ground.

My head started to spin, though I quickly regained my composure and rolled out of the way of its next attack. I scowled and charged towards the beast with the blade at my side.

I attempted repeatedly to stab and slash at the monster with my blade, though it managed to dodge each of my attempted attacks before biting my blade and throwing it to the distance.

Before I could react, the beast headbutted my chest with its skull mask, causing me to go flying backward's and hitting a nearby tree. My head started to spin again, the taste of blood could be felt within my mouth.

Though I'd be damned if I let this dog be the death of me. I still had a debt to repay, and there's no way I'm letting some monster stand in my way. I slowly got up from the ground while the beast growled at me.

I quickly shook my head in order to brush off the light headed feeling in my head. The Canine roared and attempted to pounce onto me in order to end my life, though I quickly rolled out of the way and rushed towards the blade.

I slid across the ground before grasping the sword in my hand, holding it tightly as I got up from the ground. The Beast growled before charging towards me again, causing me to grit my teeth before I quickly moved to the side to dodge the attack.

With my blade at my side, I started to rapidly slash and jab at the beast in a desperate attempt to do some form of damage, all while the beast made repeated attempts to consume me.

I stabbed, slashed and kicked at the monster furiously, all with that the pure intent to take this thing down. During this exchange, I had spotted an opening where the beast was vulnerable due to my attacks.

Acting quickly, I dug the blade into the neck of the Beast before slashing it through its flesh and taking the head of the monster off with it. I stood above the withering corpse of the beast breathing heavily, wiping the blood from my lip.

I looked around for a moment before my eyes settled on some sort of strange hillside pathway. I wiped the sweat off of my forehead and made my way over towards pathway to see where exactly it led to.

At the end of the path were the ruins of an old temple. They did say the temple closest to the entrance, so I assumed that this was the one they were talking about. I took a deep breath before walking towards the ruins in hopes to find the person I'm looking for.

The stone pillars around the temple had collected dust over the years, some wild animals making shelter within the ruins. It was smaller than I originally envisioned, though once I made my way inside of the ruins, it quickly made up for it with the sheer size of the interior.

"Whew." I let a long whistle as I admired the architecture of the place of ancient times, the noise echoing throughout the temple. Supposedly, this Gabi person was looking for something that was in this temple.

From what I've gathered from the conversation earlier, it was less about gathering a piece of treasure and more about proving that she was tougher than she actually was. So maybe if she actually does find some treasure trove, I can take a few pieces of goods for myself.

I started to slide down the dirt mount that was forming in the area where the stairs should have been. I didn't really have to worry about finding my way around the dark cave as the ceiling seems to have hollowed out a bit, allowing the light to shine on though.

As I continued my trek through the cave, I noticed various sorts of painting on the walls of the temple. It was in an unfamiliar language, though I was at least able to make out what the inscriptions were trying to convey.

It was some sort of history of the times long gone, where the world was vastly different then what it originally was. It showed the people of the land prospering, through this, these two people kept making a frequent appearance from within the inscriptions.

Though without knowing what the texts say, I couldn't really make out what exactly these scriptures said. I shook my head and I continued to make my way through the temple grounds, searching for this Gabi person at every corner I could.

"Hey! Gabi!" I called out in hopes to get some form of a response from her. Though unfortunately, the only thing I heard was the faint echo of my own voice throughout the caves.

As I kept going deeper and deeper into the ruins, I could smell something foul as I pushed through. Before I could question what it was, I could see blood staining the walls, as well as a skeleton lying in the corner.

I pushed my hand up to my nose in order to block out the smell before pushing forward in hopes to find this treasure trove. From the looks of it, other people have tried to come here in search of riches, though they all met a similar fate.

Let's just hope Gabi is one of the lucky few who managed to survive, I'd rather not have to come back to the group empty-handed. Though before I could push onward, the noise of a faint roar could be heard from the caves.

"Figures," I said to myself as I started to move in a light sprint in order to find this girl at a more quicker pace. It's only natural that something would be in this cave, something had to kill all these people after all.

"Come on I'd rather not stay here any longer then I have to!" I shouted to Gabi in hopes to get some form of a response from her.

"Hey!" I heard a whisper, causing me to dart my head around the cave. "Over here!" The voice said once again, causing me to turn my head towards the source of the voice. Hiding around some sort of corner was a rather young girl, looked to be around the ages of ten or so.

"Don't just stand there!" She said, causing me to break out of my daze before running over to her direction. "So what are you, some sort of treasure hunter?! If you are you better back off! I came all this way to get it and there no way I'm letting someone like you steal it!" The girl pointed at me with an accusing finger.

"...Are you Gabi?" I asked with one of my eyebrows raised.

"Don't ignore me! I know you...hold on, you know who I am?" She asked, which confirmed to me that this indeed was the girl I was looking for.

"Yeah, your friends sent me over here to come and take you back," I said, causing her to cross her arms.

"No way! I've already come way farther than those two chumps! I need something to show for it!" Gabi pouted, causing me to pick up some sort of rock before putting it in her hands.

"There," I said simply, indifferent on the matter.

"I meant the treasure of this cave! If I come back with the cave's treasure, maybe I can finally get some respect. Those two always look down on me. I...just thought this was a sure way for it to stop." Gabi said as she kicked one of the rocks with her foot.

...Well, I have a feeling I'm gonna regret this in the grand scheme of things though...

"Fine, we'll go find this little treasure trove," I said as I pinched the brim of my nose, though before she could express her gratitude, I immediately pointed one of my fingers at her direction to quiet her down.

"Though I get my share of the treasure." I finished, causing her to give me a thumbs up of approval. Once we came to the agreement, the two of us continued to make our way through the cave in hopes to find the treasure.

It wasn't too difficult to navigate, and we eventually found ourselves at the center of the cave. Though before I could continue to plan our next path, Gabi started to tug at my pants.

Though before I could question what she needed my attention for, she pointed at something with a wide grin on her face. Sure enough, there was some sort of gem laying next to a skeleton by one of the pillars.

Gabi ran over to the skeleton in question in order to pick up the gem, though she quickly recoiled once the bones almost made contact with her skin. She turned towards me with a nervous grin on her face.

"What now?" I asked.

"Can you pick it up for me? I don't want to touch it." She requested of me as she slowly backed away from the skeleton. I sighed before walking over towards the skeleton that had the treasure resting by its side.

I lightly kicked it away before dusting off the treasure and picking it up in my hands. "Here. Catch." I said as I threw over the treasure towards her, causing her to just barely catch it.

"Now let's..." I began, only for the ground beneath our feet shake suddenly. We both started to dart our heads around the caves in order to locate the source of the sudden tremor.

Suddenly, the young girl's expression turned into one horror. Before I could ask her what got her in such a state, she pointed behind me as she shook in her boots. I slowly turned around to see two glowing red eyes burning into my soul.

The Beast that emerged from the darkness was some sort of Minotaur, it's hulking figure towering above us. Acting quickly, I turned towards the young girl with a panicked expression on my face.

"Run!" I roared before I just barely moved out of the way of the Beast's attack. "Don't just stand there! I said go!" I yelled through from the looks of it seemed that Gabi was frozen in fear by the mere sight of the Beast.

I internally swore before dodging another attack sent by the monster. I quickly regained my footing and grabbed Gabi before going into a full sprint. I set her down around the corner of the wall before shaking her violently.

"Gah!" She shouted.

"I said go! I hate repeating myself!" I yelled as I walked around the corner to face the beast. "Alright, here we go," I said under my breath as the beast charged towards me once again.

The Minotaur roared as it charged towards me with its massive horns on its head. Luckily, it wasn't very fast compared to the Bull Grimm I had previously faced earlier today. As such, I was able to dodge the attack while it rammed its head into the stone walls.

I quickly lunged at the beast with my blade at my side rapidly slashing at its rough skin in hopes to do some damage. Though unfortunately, it didn't seem to phase the beast as much as I had hoped it would.

It grabbed me with its palm and threw me across the stone cave, causing me to land onto the hard floor. The Minotaur roared and attempted to lunge at me with its massive fist, though I was just barely able to dodge the attack.

The Beast was just barely able to avoid ramming into the wall before it made a quick turn to change at me. I quickly rolled under the massive beast before lunging onto it's back in attempts to gain the upper hand.

I rapidly started to stab the beast in the back with my blade, causing it to roar up to the sky. It attempted to grab me with its massive hands, though it had minimal effort in doing so.

The Minotaur growled and got on all fours before it started to rapidly slam on the ground with its fists, causing me to go flying off of the beast's backside and onto the floor. I could feel the blood start to form in my mouth once again, my body covered with various scrapes and dirt marks from the fight.

However, it seemed as though the Beast had sustained minimal damage as it was able to walk towards me without even a slight detour in its step. Things weren't looking good on my end, though at the top of my eye I could see Gabi walking on top of the tall rocks that were surrounding the ruins.

She had some sort of knife in her hand, while she had the gem in the other one. She walked on backward's before she bolted towards the edge of the rock and leaped up to the air.

Gabi landed on the Minotaur's head and jammed the knife into its eye, causing it to shriek in agony. She dropped the gem as its head moved upwards, only for it to grip the young girl with its massive hands.

I quickly shot up in order to prevent the girl from getting crushed, though as fate would have it, Shade made yet another appearance for a brief second. Though that second was all he needed in order for him to ram his fist into the jaw of the Beast, causing it to go flying into the air.

Using the opportunity to go on the offensive, I grabbed the blade and rushed towards the Minotaur. Though before it could stand up to counter, I quickly rammed the sword in between its eyes.

The Beast fell to the ground as its ashes evaporated into the air, causing both the sword and the knife to fall to the ground. I breathed heavily as I picked up the blade before turning around to face Gabi.

"Good job, kid," I said as I stared at her shocked filled expression. I wiped the blood and dirt off of my body before picking up the gem and handing it back to her.

"I...I killed a Minotaur." She said slowly as she took the gem from my hand, though before I could correct her on her choice of words, she started to hop up and down with a grin on her face.

"I actually killed a Minotaur! Wahoo!" She cheered as she danced around for joy. I was about to tell her that I actually killed the Minotaur, though I figured that I would let her have her little moment.

 _ **...**_

Once our business within the Forest Temple was finished, we finally made our way back to the entrance of the pathway to meet the group once again. Once they saw both of us, Danielle wasted no time rushing towards Gabi to embrace her in a hug.

Though Shay and Pace seemed to notice the large red gem she had in her arms more than anything. Once Danielle released Gabi due to lack of oxygen, she proudly showed off the gem the both of us had gotten within the cave.

"I can't believe you actually made it back!" Pace said with a shocked expression on his face.

"Not only that but you actually managed to get the treasure hidden within that temple!" Shay said as they both stared at her prize with shock written all over their faces.

"That's right! I guess I'm tougher than the both of you after all!" Gabi said as she puffed out her chest with pride. "I even defeated a Minotaur all by myself!" She said, only to get deadpanned expressions from the group in question.

"...Well, I suppose he did help." Gabi said as she pointed at my direction. "By the way, what's your name?" She asked.

"Oh, the names Brandon." I greeted.

"Right, honestly I've had it up to here with the both of you!" Danielle complimented as she scowled at Shay and Pace. "We better not have to have this talk again, we just barely were able to get the whole situation handled!" She said.

Though before Gabi could gloat in the faces of the duo, Danielle quickly turned to face her with the same scowl on her face. "The same goes for you too! I'm glad you made it out okay, though what would have happened if there hadn't been anyone around to help?" She said, causing the girl to get a rather guilty expression on her face.

"Sorry, Dan. I just wanted to show them that I'm not someone to look down on." Gabi said.

"Well, I guess you're tougher then we gave you credit for." Pace said as he picked up Gabi and threw her onto his shoulder. "You made it that far into the temple alone, and even took down a Minotaur." He said.

Even if she didn't deliver the killing blow though we'll just leave that part out.

"Yeah! I guess you two should start taking notes from me from here on out!" Gabi said with her arms crossed and her chest pushed out with pride.

"Glad to see you still talk big." Pace said as he ruffled the hair of the girl on his shoulders. "Though I gotta hand it to you, I didn't think you'd pull through for us. It's thanks to you that our little friend here made it out in one piece today." He said.

"Yeah, we really owe you one," Danielle said to me. "Now, I'm sure you'd want a reward for your troubles." She said.

"That would be appreciated," I said, causing the woman to nod before talking with both Pace and Shay.

After they had finished negotiating how much they wished to pay me, they came to an agreement that a currency of two hundred would be enough to suffice for the trouble I went through, Shay and Pace paying for most of the cost as they were the ones who caused this whole mess to begin with.

Once all was said and done, we decided it was time to part ways, though the group said that I was more than welcome to stop by their place whenever I needed something from them.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the address they had given me before shaking my head and placing it back into my pocket. I looked up to see that the sun was still out, meaning it was midday at the moment.

Before I could ponder on what to do next, the sight of a blonde female woman caught my attention. She was walking towards me with a rather neutral expression on her face and with some sort of book by her side.

"Hmm." She hummed as she opened the book and looked at me before looking back at the pages of the book. She stared at the book for a couple of seconds before nodding and placing the book back in her bag.

"I've been looking for you." The woman said as she reached into her pocket to pull out some sort of device. Before I could even question her motives, she opened the device and placed it in front of my field of vision.

It was some form of I.D, though I could very clearly tell what exactly she was trying to tell me. This woman was known as Mary Naturae, and she was a Huntress/Professor at the Academy of Beacon.

From the looks of the idea, she was some sort of Archaeologist. "You've caused quite the stir back at the West Gate. People weren't exactly happy when you just up and left like that." Mary said to me.

"Right." I nod.

"What were you even doing out here, to begin with? You look pretty run down." She said to me as she scanned the dirt that was collected throughout the day.

"I was just handling a job is all," I told her, causing her to raise an eyebrow at me.

"You're a mercenary?" Mary inquired.

"Something like that," I told her, causing her to nod her head before writing something down in the book she had in her bag. Though before I could question her any further, she started to walk towards the path that led to the Kingdom of Vale.

"Hold on, where are you going?" I asked.

"To the West Gate. Let's go, there's a lot of work ahead of us." Mary told me as she continued to walk away. I was still rather confused by all of this, though I decided it would be best to just follow the Archaeologist for now.

 _Back near the West Gate_

"Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable!" Oobleck shouted as I sat there under the moonlight listening to one of his lectures. He had wasted no time giving me one of his lectures the second I was in sight.

"I specifically told you to stay put until everything was sorted out!" He said as he paced around me. "It would be best to learn to mind your elders from here on out!" Oobleck stated. "Not only that, but you wandered out into the forest with only your blade to keep you from the clutches of the Creatures of Grimm! It's because of your inconsiderate attitude that nearly got you killed!"

"Anyone with even an ounce of common sense would think twice before diving head first into such a dangerous situation!" Oobleck said. The Historian continued to ramble on, though at this point I had tuned him out in order to save my own sanity.

"So in conclusion! Knowledge is the power of our society! Ignorance is the weakness that has plagued our society! As such, read a book!" He said. "However, I cannot say that I fault you for your actions." Oobleck rambled partially, causing me to break out of my daze.

"...Hmm?" I hummed.

"I understand one's desire to see the various wonders of the world. After all, this is a rather new experience for you." Oobleck said. "As history has shown, there are some things in this life that you will never learn except through the experience that comes with it."

"Anyways, let us get back to business!" He stated before turning his attention to Mary. "This here is Mary Naturae, the school's Archeologist. You're probably suspicious as to what our said business entails!" Oobleck assumed, though before I could give a solid answer, he proceeded to explain the situation.

"You see, that strange Relic you possess has caught the interest of our dear Archeologist, as well as the attention of the Headmaster himself. As such, we wish to research the object for further study. Rest assured, you will be able to hold on to said Relic till the research is complete." He said, though it still left me with more questions than answers. Though I decided it would be best to push the questions to the back of my head.

"Mary has also agreed to let you stay at her humble abode until the research is complete," Oobleck said, causing me to do a quick double take. "Any questions?" He asked as he adjusted his glasses.

"Wait-." I began, only for the Historian to interrupt me once again.

"Excellent! I believe we shall see one another tomorrow! Until then, farewell!" He bid me adieu before blitzing off into the distance, leaving me to process the situation in question. Mary sighed before she started to walk towards the Kingdom of Vale that was lit under the Moonlight. "Don't touch my research." She demanded, aloof, without turning to face me.

"..." I merely stood there in shock before I followed Mary towards her house in question.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus another chapter of our story ends, leaving the seeds of potential behind. When one trial ends, another one is soon to begin in its place. Whether the young man will be up to the task will be up to history.**_

 _ **While he makes progress in honing his craft with his new-found blade, the being known as Shade is still unresponsive. Our hero will have to learn to control this unfamiliar power if he hopes to be prepared for the trials ahead.**_

 _ **Unfamiliar history has been confronted, though when confronted, it merely left our hero with more questions than answers. Though the answers to these questions shall be answered in due time.**_

 _ **It is how all things are explained. Through the history, we carve out.**_

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 _ **Before I go over some of the common points made within the reviews of the last chapter, I just want to thank each and every one of you for the support I have gotten regarding my illness.**_

 _ **From what I've gotten from some of the reviews, some of you believe that this version of the story is actually better written than the original, at least when it came to the first chapter.**_

 _ **Though some of you were curious as to what would happen to the original. Rest assured that after thinking about what my next course of action should be, I have decided to keep the original version of the story for those of you who wish to look back on how far the story has come.**_

 _ **While there are some parts of this reboot that will be similar to the original, there will also be various other elements that will be vastly different from the original.**_

 _ **There were many interesting points made within the critique's that were made, though the more common one I had come across was the one regarding the "Ruby's Guide to The World of Remnant"**_

 _ **While most did enjoy the concept behind it, some didn't really believe it was something that Ruby would write. I plan to make efforts to address these criticisms, as well as inform my editor to incorporate any changes needed in the final draft.**_

 _ **Though keep in mind that not only is this a different take on my own work, it is also a different take on the various things that were previously established in the source material.**_

 ** _While the characters won't be completely different from their canonical counterpart, there will also be many things that will be vastly different about them._**

 ** _As such with everything in this new story. Some characters will have more changes than others, while some of the changes will only be noticeable when you dig deeper into the mindset of the characters._**

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: Beacon of Hope**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Ruby's Guide to The World of Remnant**_

 _ **Minotaur**_

 _ **The Minotaur is a large, humanoid-like beast, with the only traits on its body that aren't human being its head and its lower body. It reminds me of something out of one of the stories my dad used to read Yang and me when we were kids. It isn't as fast as its descendant, though it makes up for it with sheer versatility.**_

 _ **Qrow Branwen, who just so happens to be one of the most skilled Huntsman in Vale, as well as the best Uncle in the whole world, said that the Minotaur is able to wield the weapons of fallen warriors if it so desires to, being able to lift even the heaviest of weapons with relative ease.**_

 _ **Fortunately, from what my uncle has said, they aren't too difficult to take down with the right know-how which we will get into in a second here.**_

 _ **Combat Style**_

 _ **As said earlier, the Minotaur is able to wield the weapons of those it slays, making it a rather tough opponent to go up against. It is more intelligent when compared to most other Grimm, even after the recent spike in their intelligence.**_

 _ **It will use whatever means necessary to take down its opponent, making fighting a challenge to even the veterans. It will charge at you with its powerful horns or attempt to crush you with its massive hands.**_

 _ **The Minotaur stands at ten feet tall, and its horns are a threat to be feared. Surviving an attack from one of these horns will leave you with a feeling of dread you can't feel with other types of monsters.**_

 _ **How to Combat**_

 _ **Luckily for you, my uncle has come up with a plan in order to send these things back to where they came from! The beast relies on vision in order to take down its targets, so aiming for the eyes will push the battle in your favor.**_

 _ **If you are somehow able to overpower this massive force, then constant attacks are recommended due to its lack of agility and mobility. While it is durable, it can only take so much.**_

 _ **Though the Spartan Minotaurs are able to negate all sense of pain, making the fight difficult for the Huntsman in question. So engage one at your own risk.**_

 _ **Stay Safe, and Happy Hunting!**_


	3. Beacon of Hope

_**The Story so Far... Upon arriving at the Kingdom of Vale, our hero encountered a group of strange individuals who had quite the predicament on their hands, one that was beyond any of them.**_

 _ **Luckily, the curiosity of our hero had gotten the best of him, causing him to pursue the group in question.**_

 _ **Once he had made the deal with the group in order to find a lost friend who had made her way into a dangerous temple within the forest, he set his sights towards the long-lost temple of ancient times.**_

 _ **He came across a rather old tale, though it was in an unfamiliar language. With no way of being able to decipher the story, he continued to search for the lost girl.**_

 _ **It was a rather difficult task, though he eventually found the girl who went by the name of Gabi, as well as a lost piece of treasure that was hidden deep in the temple.**_

 ** _Though when one trial ends, another one is soon to take its place. There are still many trials ahead, questions to be answered._**

 ** _With the aid of the protectors of this world, he now hopes to uncover the truth behind the strange object that his silent companion, Shade had left behind for him._**

 ** _However, he will soon learn that the truth is shrouded in far more mystery then he had ever expected._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _Beacon of Hope_**

The Night had befallen the city of Vale, the light of the shattered moon shining down on the world. The Light of Vale shone through the darkness of the night, illuminating the city for all to see.

Beacon Tower stood atop the cliffside near the city, the top of the large complex shining brightly as if it were guiding the Huntsmen and Huntresses home with its light. The School stood in defense of the ever-present threat that was the Creatures of Grimm.

It trained a new generation of protectors in order to keep the people of this world safe from these monsters. The man responsible for training these individuals was the Headmaster of the Academy.

While he bore many names throughout his lifetime, the name Ozpin was a name he had held dear to him through the test of time. This man had dedicated many decades of his life to training these individuals to combat the ones who wish to disturb the peace that was made years ago.

However, the true threat that was on the horizon was one he had hidden from the eyes of the people of the world, only trusting a select few with the knowledge of the power that she had possessed.

The world was filled with many secrets, some held more truth to them than others. Some would call these secrets stories, legends, even myths. However, the old man knew that there was more to this world then one could even comprehend.

As of this moment, the old man had been locked up in the office atop the tower researching these myths and legends that inhabited the world. One such legend was the tale of the Queen and The Old One.

 _It told of a tale of an old blacksmith, one who only sought to create the perfect weapon, one that symbolized that of power. A weapon that would stand the test of time, one that would be told in legends for years to come._

 _Thus, he isolated himself from the world, only seeking perfection among his craft. The blades he made were unlike any other, though they were far from the pure source of power that he envisioned._

 _The man believed in time that he himself had amounted to nothing, and his confidence turned apathy and neglect to the world around him. However, this neglect was not without consequence._

 _For every failed blade he crafted, they would be found by wandering travelers across the world. Some would prove to shape the history of this world in ways the old man could never have imagined._

 _Though despite all the history he has created, it was still not enough to fill the hole in his heart._

 _He spent decades locked away within the cold mountains, until one day a strange figure came by to his doorstep. Rought with confusion, the old blacksmith went to greet the visitor that had traversed the cold tundra._

 _Though what he saw baffled his mind._

 _It was Spirit, cloaked in white was seen in the middle of a clearing of the Forest near his humble abode. She radiated a rather calming presence, the white cloak she wore radiating under the shattered moon._

 _Once the Spirit had taken notice of the old man, she began to walk around the strange creature with a look of curiosity in her eyes. The Old Man had questioned her curiosity, to which she responded with a rather soothing voice._

 _She had told him that she had never interacted with a mortal such as himself, one with the expression of isolation in his eyes. The Spirits were individuals who watched over the Mortal Realm, guiding the lost souls of the world to rest or eternal damnation._

 _It was then that she revealed herself to be known as the White Queen, the Ruler of the Spirit Realm. The White Queen would tell of her many tales that she had gone on over the centuries._

 _The old man didn't think much of her at first, though as time past he came to grow fond of the company of the White Queen. It had filled his soul with the long-needed feeling of companionship that it needed._

 _Though the old man was still fixated on the perfect weapon he had dreamt of all those years ago. Though in time, the old man wondered if the vision he sought was but a mere fantasy._

 _The Hope that had burned within him was slowly dying out._

 _Days would turn to months, the two would meet within the abode of the old man each night, the Queen telling the old man of the many stories she had made for herself over the centuries._

 _The White Queen grew concerned for the quest of her old and broken friend. One day, she had brought one of her Great Knights to the mountains after many days of wandering from the Kingdom without reason._

 _But it was in the Great Knight's blade did the old man see the greatest potential of all. Upon being greeted by the Knight, his full attention was brought to the weapon the Spirit had by its side._

 _Decades of flaw after flaw, the man saw a glimmer of hope within the weapon of the Great Knight and made the decision that he would try one last time to forge the perfect weapon._

 _With the old blacksmith's passion reignited, eventually continued down the path towards the flawless weapon he had only seen in his dreams. It was then that the White Queen came to a decision upon seeing her old friend find purpose once again._

 _She would trust her most trusted Knights to the world of humanity, allowing the Knights to serve this world however they see fit. The Spirit would wander the world they had been sent to in order to find someone worthy of their power._

 _So after years of trial and error, the old blacksmith had finally reached the goal he had been moving towards for decades. He had not only created the flawless weapon, though the Great Knight's of the Kingdom had vessels to give to the mortals in order to wield their power._

 _Over the course of history, their power would become known throughout the World of Remnant as one to fear. Their stories would be known by many who had wandered the world, as well as a warning for those who wish to take the power they possessed._

 _These Knights were known as the Great Knight of the White Kingdom, as well as the Queen's royal guard. Their might was unparallel and matched by none, the tales their various escapades were told all throughout the world._

 _These stories would be known as the tales of the Eleven Great Knights, and how they wandered the world to seek ones worthy of their power. Ones that would be able to mold the history of the world around them._

 _The fate of the old blacksmith still remains a mystery to this day. Some believe that once his mission had drawn to a close, he decided that so must his life be brought to a miraculous end._

 _He had spent decades of his own life, yearning for this moment stepped outside his abode to realize that his lifelong goal has finally been reached. Thus, depriving him of the only purpose that was given to him in this life._

 _Some believed that he wished to be struck down by the very weapon he had crafted, starving for the blades flawless edge and to be put to his final rest._ _Others say that the old man wandered down the mountain in search of a new purpose._

 _His fate is but a mystery in the times that would follow, and his tale would be told by the ones who had taken up his fallen blades. Though despite his name being lost to time, legends of his flawless weapon live on to this day._

This was but one of the many legends and myths that the Great Ozpin had been researching in his office. As this was one of the many tales that had held some truth to them, as well as the tales of these Eleven Great Knights.

After all, he had come face to face with one of the said Great Knights of the White Kingdom. He had even trained the one chosen to yield the power that has been told through the years.

The Might of the Great Knights was not exaggerated, as their power was indeed unparalleled throughout all of history. However, the more he learned of the origin of these tales, the more perplexed he became.

There were still many mysteries that shrouded the world they inhabited, some that even the Headmaster himself did not understand. Various books and research notes were piled upon his desk, legends of these Knights and the White Queen.

He had suspicions of the origin of the object, and as he kept looking into these tales, the fog of mystery was slowly fading from his mind and his vision became all the more clear.

Though he soon learned that this fog of mystery still rather large, as his vision became clouded by the fog the more research he did on the Knights and the Queen. He would have to see the object for himself in order to come to a conclusion, though he had a sneaking suspicion that the truth was still far from his grasp.

The Headmaster did not desire to associate himself with the tales of these spirits, as doing so caused some very old memories to resurface from the depths of his mind. Memories of the many mistakes he made in his life, thoughts of what could have been.

However, he would have to push those memories to the back of his mind if he wished to discover the truth behind this strange turn of events. As dwelling on the past will only prevent you from moving towards the future.

Ozpin was deep into his research that he almost didn't notice the console on his desk notifying him of an incoming message. He quickly snapped back into reality and opened the message in question.

 _"Professor Ozpin."_ The Combat Instructor, Glynda Goodwitch greeted as the headmaster yawned.

"Hello, Glynda," Ozpin stated before reaching for his kettle that was filled with some freshly brewed coffee. "What troubles you at such an hour?" He asked as he poured his coffee into the mug he had.

 _"I just wish to inform you that the boy that hold's the Relic has arrived at the home of Miss Naturae, they should be arriving at the Academy tomorrow morning,"_ Glynda explained to the Headmaster as he started to drink his coffee.

"Excellent. The initiations also tomorrow, correct?" Ozpin asked.

 _"You would be correct. The candidates have been finalized and will be ready for their final exam in the morning."_ She said through the screen. _"Let us hope this year's initiation shall yield better results, as last year left much to be desired,"_ Glynda said.

"You must have more faith in humanity, my dear friend. Besides, you might find that the candidates of this year's generation of huntsmen and huntresses quite promising." Ozpin said.

 _"Let us hope you are correct. Moving on from that, how goes the research on the Knights and The Queen?"_ The Blonde Huntress asked, causing the Headmaster of the Academy to sigh in response.

"My research on these tales only brings up more questions then answers, unfortunately. It has also brought up some memories that I do not wish to dwell on." Ozpin stated, causing Glynda to get a rather saddened expression on her face.

 _"I see. I suppose all of this research on the Knights and The Queen would bring up memories of the times of old."_ Glynda said to the Headmaster in question.

"Indeed. Though for now, let us dwell on the possible future that these events may bring, rather than dwell on the mistakes that were made in the past." The Headmaster said.

 _"Right. I suppose that it would be the best course of action for now."_ Glynda agreed as she adjusted the glasses that rested on her nose. _"Do you truly believe that the boy possesses one of the Eleven Knights?"_ She asked.

"I cannot say for certain. This very predicament is quite the mystery, more then even I had expected." Ozpin told her as he took a sip of his coffee. "We are going through some rather strange times, wouldn't you agree?" He asked.

 _"Strange is one way to describe the times we live in."_ She told him. _"Anyways, I won't take up any more of your time. Good Night, Professor Ozpin."_ Glynda said to the Headmaster.

"Yes, I bid you a good night. For tomorrow shall be quite the eventful day." Ozpin said, causing the connection to the message to conclude. The man sighed to himself as he recollected on the expression Glynda gave him when he had mentioned the past.

The man pinched the brim of his nose, trying desperately to take his mind off the mistakes he had made in the distant past. He had made many mistakes during his time in this world, some had more weight on his conscious than others.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the night laid a warehouse with technology that was imported and developed from the Kingdom of Atlas, a place known for its broad technological innovation.

Such Technology would prove to be rather perilous if ever fallen into the clutches of those who wished to destroy rather then create. Which is why it was heavily guarded by the military of the Kingdom of Vale.

Within the warehouse wandered two guards, each armed with the weapons provided to them by the military of Vale. It was rather quiet due to most of the onsight workers making their way back to the families waiting for them.

This left the two to wander around the warehouse in order to ensure that such technology did not fall into the wrong hands. However, patrolling a warehouse heavily guarded by the military left the two with a rather dull routine.

"Sure is quiet tonight." One of them said as their flashlight shone through the darkness of the warehouse.

"I guess that's a good thing. Means nobody's trying to pull anything." The other one stated as he walked beside his partner.

"Yeah, though walking around the same old warehouse, making sure nobody takes these imported goods does get kind of dull after doing it for as long as we have." He said with a yawn.

"Hmm, I suppose I can't really argue with that. Though someone's gotta do this job." His partner said.

"Yeah...Hmm." One of them said as he pinched the brim of his chin with his fingers. Suddenly, the man got a look of realization on his face, causing his partner to look at him suspiciously.

"Okay, what now?" The man asked.

"Well, I don't think anyone would really notice if we took a little peek at what's so important about these crates, right?" He asked as he raised one of his eyebrows at his partner.

"Thomas, no. That's a terrible idea." The man said to the newly named Thomas.

"Oh come on, it's not like anyone's getting hurt by it," Thomas said as he started to move towards one of the crates. Though before his partner could stop him from doing something that would get them both fired, he heard a strange noise coming from the back room.

The man quickly aimed his weapon at the direction of the sound, though as he scanned the area he noticed that nobody was in sight. It was only the cold darkness of the room he was greeted with.

Still, he still couldn't shake the feeling of suspicion crawling up his back. "Hey, Thomas." The man said as he called over to his partner. "I heard something over in that direction, I'm gonna go check it out." He said.

"Alright, check up on me once you're done, Jeremy," Thomas said to the newly named Jeremy. The man known as Jeremy nodded before walking over to the source of the noise with his weapon raised.

Thomas chuckled to himself once he managed to open the crate that led towards the imported technology that was shipped from Atlas. Once he walked inside, the sight of a large mechanical suit could be seen from the back of the crate, causing Thomas to stare at the suits with a rather surprised expression.

"Whoa, now that's what I call firepower." He said as he walked over towards the suits in question. He scanned them with his flashlight, taking in every little detail about the piece of armor.

Though there was one rather small detail that caught the man off guard. The hollow lights that were supposed to signal that the machines were inactive started to glow with a red light.

 _'I don't think they're supposed to do that.'_ Thomas thought to himself as a nervous sweat started to form on his head. The machines stared down at Thomas before they started to move towards the man in question.

"Jerry! We have a serious problem!" Thomas stated into his radio, though the only thing that he was getting back was static. The man started to hit his radio against his hand in a desperate attempt to get the radio working.

The hulking robots took aim at the man before their cold metallic voice drilled into the soul of Thomas. _**"Target Acquired."**_ They stated before they open fired upon the man himself.

Meanwhile, Jeremy was still searching the area in hopes to find the source of the noise, though he was quickly broken out of his concentration by the sound of gunfire coming from the direction Thomas was last seen.

Jeremy was just about to make his way over towards the area where his partner was, though the sound of footsteps coming from behind him quickly stopped him in his tracks. He spun around and aimed his weapon at whoever was trespassing.

However, upon further examination, he could clearly see that there was no one around in the pitch black darkness. That is until he saw one glowing red eye peering from the darkness.

Before the guard could react, the red eye'd attacker quickly rushed towards the man and wrapped his metallic palm around the head of the man, causing a light blue light to shine through the darkness and radiate off of the man's head.

The man fell to the ground with an audible thud as smoke started to radiate from his head. The man looked down at the man before he opened some sort of console on his mechanical arm.

He typed in some sort of code which caused the mechanical titans to make their way towards the rest of the cargo with the intent to carry it off to parts unknown. The identity of the man was still unknown, though the only clue that could point to the possible explanation was a large M that was seen hovering over the console of his arm.

 _ **...**_

The night quickly came to an end to make its way for the morning that would come upon the Kingdom of Vale, the sun shining down upon the great city to awaken the citizens. The birds began to sing their song to the Kingdom under the morning sun.

Vale was one of the Four Kingdoms that was a safe haven among the southern parts of the continent of Sanus. As such, people would flock towards the Kingdom in hopes to live a life without the constant threat of death over their head.

However, various capitals were made in hopes to expand the territory that the Kingdom of Vale had. These capitals were known as the Lake District, North Witch, Oxhorn, Patch and the Peak District.

The Lake District was the primary source of overseas trade, as well as the checkpoint that leads towards the subterranean facility that Vale has made with the aid of Professor Arno, the head of the said facility.

North Witch was one of the many capitals that surrounded Vale and was the largest capital that Vale had managed to produce ever since the incident at Mountain Glenn. It is home to many citizens, as well as the Huntsmen Preparation School simply known as Searchlight.

Oxhorn was the first capital that was made in order to expand the territory that Vale had, and was also the first capital to produce Bonfire, the very first Huntsman Preparation School. It has a rather old design to it in remembrance to the Kingdom of Vale before the war and is where the grave of the last king of Vale, King Arthur resides.

Patch was an island just off the coast of Vale and is the safest area that is within the territory of the Kingdom due to its small size. It was only home to minor threats, which made it the ideal place to start a family. It is home to the Academy of Signal, one of the three Huntsmen Preparation School's mentioned before.

The Peak District was the primary source of trade over land, as well as the closest district to the Kingdom of Vale. It helps patrol any potential threats that may be lurking within its steep mountain terrain.

With Vale being on one of the largest continents in the world, as well as having the most territory out of all the kingdoms, one would think that this would be the ideal place to settle down.

You wouldn't be wrong to think so. Though nothing can last forever, and Vale is no exception to this rule. However, that is a story for another time. For now, the people of the Great Kingdom of Vale can focus more on the problems at hand rather than the ones of the future.

Two of these individuals were simply known as Brandon and Mary, who were making their way towards the Academy of Beacon to meet up with the headmaster himself in hopes to discover the origin of the relic that the boy possessed.

Mary was currently driving down the streets of Vale with a sleeping boy in the front seat, the flat cap on his head moved over his eyes to block out the sun. The two had left earlier than expected, as she didn't want to waste any time starting the research.

The radio was currently on the news channel, the two news reporters speaking of the events that were happening around the Kingdom of Vale, as well as the surrounding communities.

 _"Reports stated that the technology that was imported from the Kingdom of Atlas had mysteriously malfunctioned, causing them to act rather strangely."_ The reporter known as Cyril stated to the public.

 _"The Military Police was able to detain these threats with only minimal casualties, though unfortunately most of the cargo was taken from the warehouse,"_ Cyril stated before the voice of Lisa Lavender spoke up.

 _"Indeed. Following your report on these recent reports, some have linked these thefts back to the failed expansion of Vale known as Mountain Glenn."_ Lisa said, causing the attention of Mary to be grabbed.

 _"Eyewitnesses stated that saw these prototypes making off with the stolen cargo, the mechanical villains in question making their way to the abandoned city."_ She said.

 _"If you have any information on the identity of this criminal, as well as their whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department."_ She said, causing Mary to move her hand over to the radio in order to shut it off.

She sighed to herself before quickly lighting a cigarette in her hands. Once the air station that led to the Academy known as Beacon was in sight, she lightly hit the sleeping boy in the stomach in order to wake him up.

"Gah!" He cried out as he jolted awake from his slumber. "What do you want?" He growled as he rubbed his eyes with his right hand.

"We're almost at the air station," Mary stated before letting out a breath of smoke from her mouth. Once the smoke made its way over nostrils of the boy, he quickly covered the lower parts of his head before pushing the smoke away.

"It's gonna be a busy day today so I thought it would be best to head to the school early this time." The Archeologist said to the boy. "I'll have to introduce you to the headmaster, for starters." She said.

"I'll go with you for now though I want you to meet me in my office once everything is said and done," Mary told the boy, causing him to look at her with an expression of confusion. "There's something I want to talk to you about, though we can deal with that once we've gotten everything situated." The Huntress explained before letting loose another puff of smoke from her mouth.

While the boy was still rather curious as to what the woman was referring to, he figured that the answers would come to him in time. He nodded his head in agreement with Mary's request, causing the woman to nod in return.

"Alright, let's head on out," Mary stated to the boy sitting next to her.

 _ **...**_

It was a rather long road ahead, though we finally reached the Academy of Beacon, the establishment designed to train the next generation of warriors that would protect the people from the clutches of darkness.

The view of the Academy in question was quite the sight, to say the least, monuments standing tall for all to see while the tower at the center of the campus would reach up to the clouds in the sky.

However, the most notable thing about the whole campus was the statue of a man standing atop a rock proudly for all to see, while three others stood either beside him or beneath the stone he stood on.

From what Mary told me, these were the last rulers of the Four Kingdoms of Vale, the ones who sparked the war eighty years ago. Though the one who stood atop the cliff proudly was the last king of Vale, the one who brought them all together.

Now, I stand in the pod that would take the two of us up to the Headmaster of the Academy himself, Professor Ozpin. The higher we rose, the more of the Kingdom of Vale we could see from the window of the elevator.

I leaned back on one of the walls of the elevator, staring out of the window in order to entertain myself for the time being. Meanwhile, the Archeologist in question was looking at her journal that she carried around.

She stared down at the context of the journal, her eyes darting around the various pages of the book. She would occasionally flip one of the pages with her thumb, though the woman seemed completely fixated on the book she carried on her person.

Our interactions have been rather limited ever since last night, the Huntress only talking to me only if she needed to inform me of something. I would attempt to make small talk with her, though every attempt was only met with silence.

I stared up towards the top of the tower, the place where the Headmaster himself stood looking down upon the Kingdom. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the Relic that belonged to Shade, holding the black object in the palm of my hands.

There was quite the number of questions running through my mind about this strange Relic, though those were questions for later. The sound of the elevator indicated that we've arrived at the top of the tower.

Mary closed her book and stood up from where she was kneeling, placing the journal back within her bag that she was wrapped over her shoulder. I placed the Relic back into my back pocket and stared before the doors that would lead me to the Headmaster of Beacon Academy himself.

The two of us stepped out of the elevator and into the office at the top of the tower, the desk at the end of the room was piled with various types of books and scriptures. At the end of it, all was the man himself, Professor Ozpin.

He merely faced the window that was at the very end of the room with a cup of coffee in his right hand. The man in question slowly turned around to face us, placing the cup of coffee on the glass desk he had.

The light reflected off of his glasses, though his eyes could be seen from the top of his glasses. "Ah." He began before standing up to greet both of us. "Ms. Naturae, thank you for coming to speak, despite today being rather busy for all of the staff here at Beacon," Ozpin stated, causing me to give Mary an expression of confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked her, the woman turning her head towards me in order to respond,

"Today is the day of the final exams," Mary stated as Ozpin walked out from behind his desk.

"Indeed, for we are grateful for their time, going through the rigorous entrance exam in order to get into this prestigious academy. However, they are not quite done." The Headmaster explained.

"For today is the day where our dear candidates will be able to show the results of their training, to take the test that will truly show us who is worthy to become the protectors of the world. Only a couple dozen of the students will be accepted into this school, and begin their next steps to become warriors." Ozpin clarified.

I guess that's what they meant when they said getting into these kinds of schools was difficult.

"Though let us not get off track, I believe introductions are in order." The Headmaster said before walking up to me with his hand extended outwards. "I am Professor Ozpin. Who might you be?" He asked.

"Brandon Kim. Pleasure." I said as I shook the hand of the man told in stories.

"Likewise," Ozpin said. "Now, if you would be so kind as to recollect the events that have transpired up until this point that would be appreciated." The Headmaster requested of me.

"Oh. Sure I guess." I said as I began to tell him of what had transpired over the past day. I might have twisted a few details for the sake of realism, so I told him that I was a wandering mercenary looking to take up some jobs in the Kingdom of Vale, I got lost in the forest and you all know what happened from there.

"That's about the sum of it," I said, concluding my story on yesterdays events.

"I see, I must say that is quite the number of fortunate and unfortunate events," Ozpin commented. "You said you were a mercenary, correct?" The Headmaster asked with one of his eyebrows raised.

"That I am," I told him.

"Hmm, and what is a boy no older than the age of sixteen doing going down the road of the life of a mercenary?" Ozpin asked me.

"Well, we gotta make ends meet somehow," I explained, though the expression of skepticism did not leave the mans face.

"I see." The Headmaster said before he gestured to the chair on the other side of his desk. "Please, take a seat. There is much to discuss." He said as he walked behind his desk to sit down on the chair behind it.

I moved over towards the seat and sit down, Mary merely leaning on one of the pillars within Ozpin's office. "I am quite certain that you must have your reasons for living the life you have now, though understand if you do not wish to dwell on the past." The Headmaster said.

"For now, I wish to speak with you about a certain object that is in your possession," Ozpin said to me. "First I wish to clarify a few things before we proceed." The man explained.

"Alright," I said as I nodded my head.

"You have only come into possession of this strange object within recent times, correct?" The Headmaster questioned.

"That's right," I confirmed.

"Furthermore you have no knowledge of its origin." He said.

"Yeah, I just found it lying nearby the entrance of a cave. I thought it looked valuable so I picked it up in hopes to sell it off to someone here in Vale." I explained.

It wasn't a complete lie, it was true that I knew next to nothing about what this even is, though I decided to withhold the identity of Shade for now.

From what I've been able to gather, the Headmaster had a general idea on what this thing even was so it might be best to gather information on the situation myself before I tell him everything I know about the object I had, which wasn't really much now that I think about it.

"I see," Ozpin said before he poured himself another batch of coffee into his cup. "Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary about this object you possess?" He asked me before picking up his mug.

"I don't follow," I said.

"As if there was another being standing beside you. A being of unimaginable power and might." The Headmaster said, confirming to me that he did indeed know the origin to the Spirit that is bound to me.

"Being of unimaginable power?" I asked.

"Indeed, for you see, I believe that you have been chosen to wield the might of one of the eleven spirits that roam our world," Ozpin explained to me, though the fact that Shade was not the only Spirit in this world did catch me off guard.

"You look taken aback." He noticed. "I take it that you already knew of the existence of this Spirit of yours?" The Headmaster asked as he raised one of his eyebrows.

"Yeah," I admitted.

"I will give you the benefit of the doubt, though I ask that you do not withhold any more information." Ozpin requested, causing me to nod my head and give him a thumbs up of approval.

"Now that we have gotten that out of the way, may I see this artifact that you have acquired yesterday, implying that you are being truthful about when you have acquired such an object of incredible power." The Headmaster said.

"No, I wasn't lying when I said I found it near a cave. It was by some river under a tree." I explained as I took the artifact out of my pocket and showed it to Ozpin, who in turn stared into its hollow eyes deep in thought.

"Hmm." He hummed as he pinched the tip of his chin with his fingers. "This is rather peculiar, you do indeed have one of the Great Knights bound to you, though even I do not know what this object is."

"Great Knights?" I asked with one of my eyebrows raised.

"Indeed. They are the best of the best from within the realm they reside in. Though that can wait, for now, I wish to know more about what this strange object is." The Headmaster explained as he reached for the object. Though once Ozpin made contact with the hard surface of the Charm, various flashes of visions suddenly went through his mind.

Visions of bloodshed, of rage and sorrow began to flash in his mind. The Headmaster suddenly pulled away while standing from his chair, his breathing becoming heavy from the visions he saw.

"Professor Ozpin?" Mary said as she leaned off the wall and looked at the man with a rather surprised expression. Though before the Headmaster could speak, his vision fell upon the silhouette of Shade that was standing behind me, his eyes glowing with an eerie white aura.

The Spirit was rather unclear, though everyone who was present in the room could feel the presence of the Spirit. Though before anyone could act upon this newfound opportunity, the shadow disappeared as quickly as he came.

"So, that's one of the Spirits?" Mary asked as she turned her head back towards Ozpin who was still rather taken aback at the visions he had seen mere moments ago.

"Wel now, that was quite strange," Ozpin said in order to get my attention, causing me to turn my head to face the man in question. "When you first came upon the Charm of the Spirits, did you happen to see any form of visions?" He asked.

"...Can't say that I did. To be completely honest, Shade has been giving me the silent treatment ever since I found this thing near the cave" I admitted, causing the Headmaster to look at me with a rather serious expression.

"What did you say his name was?" Ozpin asked.

"Shade?" I said in a rather confused tone. The Headmaster in response began to scramble through the various books and scriptures he had on his desk. He flipped through the various pages on the Great Knights, as well as a book that had something to do with a Queen.

"Hmm, this is quite peculiar." He said. "I will have to have to look further into this matter," Ozpin said before he closed the book.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"I'm not sure." The Headmaster said. "It would be in your best interest to keep such an object out of the sight," Ozpin said as he picked up his cane and began to walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked as I stood up from my seat.

"There are some things that I must see to. Questions in need of answers." The Headmaster explained before pressing the button that would summon the elevator to take him down the tower.

"I don't understand," I said as Ozpin turned his head to face me.

"Neither do I, it seems that this situation is shrouded in far more mystery then even I had originally thought." He said the doors leading to the elevator opened. The man walked into the metal pod before leaving me with one final message.

"Keep the relic in secret, as well as out of the hands of those who would use its power against humanity," Ozpin said before the doors leading to the elevator closed, leaving the two of us to dwell on the events that had just transpired before us.

"What just happened?" I asked the Archeologist who merely stared at me with an equal level of confusion.

"I'm not sure," Mary admitted to me as she crossed her arms and started to tap her foot onto the table. She closed her eyes as if she were deep in thought about the whole situation.

"So what now?" I asked her, causing her to break out of her thought process and back to reality.

"Well, despite everything's that happened it still doesn't change what we talked about earlier," Mary answered. "Come on, there's something I want to talk to you about. Though we can't talk here, we should head to my office." She said as she started to walk towards the elevator.

I was still rather curious as to what the Huntress wanted to talk to me about, though I figured that I would get those answers in time. I nodded my head and followed the Archeologist towards her office.

 _ **...**_

Ozpin hurried off to the library that the school had within its campus after learning of the secret behind the Relic that the boy had acquired in the Forests outside of the Kingdom of Vale.

He had originally hoped that this would open up the truth he had been seeking on the strange presence the object let loose towards his two comrades, though he only found himself with more questions on the matter than ever before.

It was rare that the old man would find himself with a myth or legend that he did not have a possible explanation for, even for the tales that were told to children in the years he had been in this world.

Which is why his lack of knowledge of the enigma that was presented before his was rather unsettling to him, especially after seeing the visions he had seen once he had touched the charm that the boy possessed.

He had searched through his private study within the large building in hopes to find the answers he had been seeking there. It was a room filled with many scriptures of the vast knowledge that he had collected over the countless decades he had spent walking this world.

The man scourged through various types of scriptures, literature and even inscriptions that have been collected over the past eighty years. Hours went by as the Headmaster sat down at the desk in the study in hopes to find the truth.

Which prompted one of his trusted advisors, Glynda Goodwitch to search for the man in question. She had suspected that he would be in his study once she had found the state of his desk within the office atop the tower.

She had opened the door leading to the study, which was one of the bookshelves that were on the walls of the library. It was dimly lit by a candle that was shining brightly on the desk that was in the room behind the hidden walls.

"Professor Ozpin?" Glynda called out, causing the old man to turn his head towards the woman in question.

"Ah, hello Glynda." The Headmaster greeted as he took a sip from his mug of coffee.

"The initiates have made their way towards the airship. It is almost time for the ceremony." The Combat Instructor reminded him as she walked down the stairs leading to the study.

"Is that so? I suppose I have been in here for quite some time." Ozpin said before beginning to organize the various pieces of scripture he had collected in order to further study the matter of the charm that the boy had possessed.

"I take it that the meeting did not go quite the way you had wished it to?" Glynda asked as she walked over to the headmaster.

"No, I was able to come to a conclusion." The man said, causing the woman to stare at him with a rather surprised expression. "It was as I suspected, the boy does indeed hold one of the Spirits," Ozpin said.

"I see, though for what reason could be the reason for your desire to isolate yourself in your study to do further research?" The combat instructor asked.

"Because the truth was not as clear as I had hoped it would be." The Headmaster answered.

"I do not understand," Glynda said with a rather confused expression on her face. Ozpin then proceeded to explain his findings or lack thereof on the enigma that was presented before them.

"Are you certain?" She asked, her confusion only rising the more she heard of the findings that the Headmaster had discovered.

"Yes, I am almost certain of this matter," Ozpin said with a serious expression.

"I see, that is most peculiar," Glynda said as she pinched her chin with her right hand. "What do you suppose this means?" She asked the Headmaster that stood before her.

"Even I have yet to understand. Though it would be in our best interest to keep this strange turn of events in secret for the time being." The man said as he finished placing the last piece of research back onto the shelves.

"I suppose that would be the best course of action. The unknown can be rather intimidating for the outside world, as shown throughout the course of history." The Combat Instructor said.

"Indeed it can be, Glynda. Indeed it can be." Ozpin said before he started to walk towards the stairs leading to the library. "Though there are other matters that we must attend to." He said.

"Right, it is time to begin to mold the next generation of warriors that will protect the world from the clutches of darkness," Glynda said as she followed the headmaster out of the door.

There were still many questions that have yet to be answered regarding the situation with the spirit, though the headmaster thought it would be best to push his concerns to the back of his mind for now.

Though even he could not deny the feeling of emptiness that he felt coming from the strange object, as well as the visions of blood that he saw hidden within the strange object that the boy had.

It was only for a moment, though a moment was all he needed to feel the darkness coming from within the spirit that was being held inside the object in question. He could only pray that such darkness could be contained.

If not, then perhaps the boy would be able to unify such darkness under his own will.

 _ **...**_

After the meeting with Ozpin, Mary and I began making our way across the campus in order to reach her office. I could see various different kinds of warriors walking around the ground of the school, each with their own respective weapon that was an extension of their own personality.

The sun had set by the time we had even reached the building, and airships could be seen flying above the building to make their way towards the Kingdom of Vale. Those must be the initiates that failed to pass the final exam.

However, as we continued to walk down the halls of the building I couldn't help but question Mary's secretive attitude. Once I was certain that there was no one around that could be eavesdropping, I began to question the archeologist.

"So mind telling me what exactly it is you want to talk about?" I asked the woman, who merely responded without even turning her back to face me.

"I'll let you know when we get to my office." She said, which only made my growl in frustration.

"Why couldn't we talk about it while Ozpin was away from his office? He didn't seem like he was coming back anytime soon." I questioned further, though only getting the same attitude from her.

"Because there was someone bound to come by the Headmaster's office once word got out that he was nowhere to be seen," Mary said. "We won't be disturbed once we make it to my office, it will also be easier to explain what I want from you." She said.

"What's with the attitude? You act like you have something to hide from the people around you." I interrogated, my suspicion only growing the more questions she kept dodging.

"I do." She said, causing me to stop dead in my tracks as I stared at her with an expression of surprise. I wasn't really expecting her to be so forward with her reasoning for her attitude.

"What?" I asked, causing her to sigh and turn her head towards me.

"I want to make a deal with you. One that I know no one around here would agree with, considering our profession." Mary said to me with a rather tired expression on her face. She sighed and took out some sort of cigarette before lighting it with her lighter.

"Which is why I want to make sure that nobody knows about this deal. As far as anyone is concerned, the only reason you're getting involved with the staff here is to figure out just where your artifact comes from." Mary said.

"..." I merely stood there in silence, not sure how to respond to her reasoning for her behavior.

"Now, I will gladly answer any questions you may have once we get to my office." She said as she puffed out a cloud of smoke from her mouth, causing me to cover my mouth to prevent the smoke from getting into my lungs.

Mary raised one of her eyebrows at me as if she were waiting for a response, though the only one I gave her was a nod and a thumbs up.

"Come on." She said as she continued to walk down the hallway towards her office. I waved the smoke away from my nostrils before I continued to follow the woman towards her office.

We eventually made our way into the Archeologist's office, which was filled with various types of books and scriptures on the various stands that were placed along the walls. There were also strange relics that were placed around the office, all of them taking many shapes and sizes.

Her desk was at the very end of the room, a window looking out from the back of the desk with the sight of the campus in question. Mary made her way over to the desk at the back of the room before putting out the cigarette she had lit.

"Lock the door," Mary said as I walked into the room.

I quickly turned around and turned the lock on the doorknob before turning to face the woman who was sitting at the end of her desk. "So, let's get down to business." She said before taking out some sort of book that was locked in her desk.

"Right," I said before walking over towards a chair that was at the other end of the desk. The woman poured herself a drink, the liquid splashing against the cup, stopping just at the tipping point of overflowing.

There was a rather tense feeling in the air around the office, though the silence was broken once Mary spoke up. "Are you aware of what happened at Mountain Glenn ten years ago?" She asked as she picked up the cup with one of her hands.

"I have a general idea of how it all went down," I responded with my arms crossed as I sat down in the chair. It has been a while since I had refreshed my memory on the details of what happened in that story, so my recollection of the event is a bit clouded.

I just had other matters to deal with at the time, a story that I would rather leave in the past. "Though my memory is a bit clouded on the matter. I was pretty young when the whole thing happened." I lied.

"Well, twenty years ago a corporation known as Merlot Industries was established in Mountain Glenn, Vale's attempt to expand its territory. It specialized in research on artificial intelligence and genetics." Mary explained.

"The facility was founded by a man known as Doctor Merlot in hopes to aid humanities never-ending battle against the beasts that have been plaguing our world since humanities creation." She said as she took a sip from the drink she had poured for herself.

"For years, Merlot Industries would come to develop many of the worlds major artificial intelligence units." The Archeologist said. "He was a good man, one with good intentions for the good of the world around him," Mary said.

"Was?" I noticed as I raised one of my eyebrows, causing the woman to sigh to herself.

"Five years after the company was established, research and experimentation on these monsters began. The facility was tasked with discovering the reason behind the sudden spike in the intelligence of the beasts." She explained.

"Though Merlot found such an anomaly fascinating. He thought that if they were able to form intelligent thought and actions, then perhaps they could be trained to do the bidding of humanity." The Archeologist said.

"As time went on, the research became less about aiding in the endeavors of humanity and more about figuring out the mystery that shrouded the beasts that roam our world," Mary said.

"The Headmaster doesn't exactly hold this man in high regard. Which is why he enlisted the Huntsmen and Huntresses towards the facility in order to oversee the research." She said.

"One day, Merlot decided that he would begin one of his greatest experiments yet. He wanted to create the ultimate weapon that would be able to combat the monsters that roam our world." Mary said.

"No one really knew the details of this experiment, as the monster that he had created laid waste to Mountain Glenn. It destroyed the facility where the company was established, as well as slaughtered thousands of citizens who had resided within the city." She said.

"It took everything we had to take that thing down." The Archeologist explained with a rather grim expression on her face. "Merlot was presumed dead, and without the primary facility as well as the chief staff officers, the company shut down shortly after the incident," Mary explained.

"We tried to save as many people as we could, though the ones who were unfortunate enough to live near the Mountain when the incident happened were forced to take refuge in the underground tunnels, converting the caves into an underground settlement. While it was a good idea at the time, it completely cut them off from the surface." The woman said.

"It kept them safe for the time being, though eventually the settlement was compromised when an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern filled with subterranean Grimm," Mary said as she gripped her cup tightly.

"The people who were living there at the time were beyond our saving. With no other recourse, the Council decided to seal off the tunnels permanently, trapping any would be survivors and creating the largest tomb in existence." She said.

"..." I merely sat in my chair as I stared at the woman with a rather serious expression on my face. Though the concept of death was not lost on me, so I was able to keep my composure during this whole ordeal.

Though still, I had a rather disgusting feeling deep down within my heart as I heard of the story behind this doctor, as well as the decision to completely isolate any potential survivors from the Kingdom they once called home.

"Some Huntsman and Huntresses were unable to handle the burden of the lives they had failed to save during the incident," Mary said.

"I'm sorry for the losses that were made all those years ago, though what does this have to do with the deal you want to make with me?" I asked as I raised one of my eyebrows. It took a few moments for the Archeologist to eventually break the silence, as she was staring at me with a rather cold expression.

"With the recent reports of the various pieces of technology that were being imported around the world being stolen, I have reason to believe that the Doctor who caused the very incident itself is still alive," Mary said.

"If that's the case then why don't you tell the other professionals about it? Seems like they'd be better equipped to handle this situation when compared to someone like me." I questioned.

"If the Academy gets involved, so does the Council. They'll want to salvage any and all research that Merlot made during the last decade. They'll hand it off to some other facility. We wouldn't be learning from the mistakes of the past, we'd only be repeating them." Mary explained.

"That's why the only ones who will know about this project will be you and I. We can both make sure that Merlot gets the justice he deserves, as well as make sure nothing like what happened ten years ago ever happens again." She said.

"Not to mention that you've been chosen to bear the power of one of the Spirits. That's a kind of power that you don't see every day." The woman said.

"...I'll do it," I said.

"Rest assured that you will be paid once we take down the doctor in question. Once everything is said and done..." She began before it finally settled that I had accepted her offer before hearing about the reward.

"Hold on, you'll do it?" Mary asked, causing me to nod my head to her statement. "Here I thought you didn't like to get involved with things that don't concern you." The Archeologist stated as she stared at me with a rather confused expression on her face.

"I don't." I began, though before the woman could say anything else, I quickly began to explain myself. "Though I made a promise a while back, and I intend to keep it," I explained.

"...I see." She said as she closed her eyes as if she were in deep thought. "Tell me something. How long have you been in this business?" Mary asked me.

"I just started yesterday," I said bluntly.

"So you have very little experience in actual combat is what you're saying." She said.

"Well, I'm able to deal with the occasional street thug, and I did have a pistol until I lost it while I was in the forest. Though as for the sword, I know next to nothing about how to use it." I said.

"Hmm." She hummed as she rubbed her hand on her chin. "How about this? You help me take down this man, and I'll teach you how to fight like one of the professionals, as well as give you the original reward when all this is said and done." Mary offered.

"What was the original reward?" I asked with my arms crossed.

"I'll give you some spending money to get you on the right track in your life." She said, though before I could question the exact amount, she quickly stated the amount. "One million lien." The Archeologist said, causing an audible record scratch to go off in my head.

I stared at the woman for a few moments before she eventually called out my name, snapping me back into reality. "Hey." She said, causing me to jolt my head backward's before blinking a few times.

"Are you serious?" I asked in a bewildered tone.

"I'm always serious." She said.

I sat there in the chair across from her desk in stunned silence for a few more moments before responding to her statement with a smirk on my face. "...Well, if you didn't have my attention before you sure as hell have it now." I said.

"So we have a deal?" Mary asked as she reached out her hand. I nodded before gripping her hand with my own, sealing the deal of our temporary partnership. "Let's get started then." She said before getting up in her chair.

"Right...Hold on, now?" I asked.

"Yeah. The more time we waste sitting around, the more time Merlot could be planning his next move." The Archeologist said as she unlocked the door and opened it with her right hand.

"You coming?" She asked.

"Right," I said as I got up from my chair and began to follow her out of the door. So this was the start of my partnership with the Huntress known as Mary Naturae, as well as the next chapter to my life.

Though despite everything that the woman had told me earlier, something told me that I didn't exactly have the whole picture of how the whole event went down.

 _ **...**_

Meanwhile, in the skies of the continent of Solitas were a fleet of fighter ships souring through the strong winds that plagued the continent's many tundras. The fighters in question bore the emblem of the Kingdom of Vale, the one leading the fleet being Amaya, a Huntress for the Kingdom of Vale as well as one of the Kingdom's elite fighter pilots.

The woman was also a Professor at Beacon Academy, specializing in ariel combat for the next generation of warriors who wished to take their battles to the skies.

She had been stationed in Atlas for the time being to deal with the many issues its citizens suffer through and was now flying towards the capital of Stavanger in hopes to aid the specialist team that had been sent by General Ironwood.

 ** _"Stavanger is approximately one thousand meters away."_** The A.I unit that was installed within the fighter ship stated, causing the woman to grip the handles of the ship tightly.

"Look alive team. We'll be closing in towards the capital any minute now." Amaya stated as she began to prepare the ship she piloted for combat.

"Roger." The group stated as they began a similar procedure. Once she had finished preparing her vessel for battle, she flipped on the communications network in order to contact the specialist team that had been defending the capital from the Gatlinburg that was reported to be making an assault on the city.

"Specialist team this is Professor Amaya, come in." She said into the console. After a few moments of silence, the voice of the specialist Winter Schnee could be heard from the other end.

 _"This is Winter Schnee, head of the Specialist team."_ The woman said from the other side of the line, the sounds of gunshots and roars could be heard coming from the microphone.

"The team and I will be closing in on your location any minute now. What's the situation?" She asked.

 _"We have managed to push back the Gatlinburg, though the beast has learned to adapt to the strategies we have implemented in hopes to take it down,"_ Winter reported.

"Roger. We're coming to assist you, see if we can't give you an opening of any kind." Amaya said as she pushed forward on the levers on her ship, causing it to move at blinding speeds, the other ships following her actions.

 _"If you can turn its attention towards you then we should be able to potentially strike the beast down."_ The Specialist said.

"Roger that." The pilot said before she cut off the communications network with the woman in question. "Alright, team..." She began as the capital finally revealed itself through the snowstorm, as well as the Gatlinburg.

"Give it hell," Amaya said as she and the rest of the fleet began to open fire on the powerful monster that was attacking the capital.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus another chapter of our story ends. Our hero now has a clear goal ahead of him, to find the mad doctor that had destroyed the fallen city all those years ago, and to make sure the departed souls are given peace.**_

 _ **He partners himself with the Archeologist, Mary Naturae, who seems to hold many secrets to her story. Though with the promise he had made long ago in his mind, he accepts the offer the woman had made.**_

 _ **The mystery of Shade only grows larger as time goes on, raising more questions than answers. The truth escapes the grasp of even the Headmaster of Beacon himself, Professor Ozpin.**_

 _ **The world around them is still plagued by the chaos that has arisen decades ago, though only time will tell if humanity will survive this crisis, or if they will fall from existence like the ancestors from ancient time.**_

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 ** _This part of the story is usually reserved to address common criticisms that would be made in the previous chapter, though this time is a very special exception._**

 ** _On November 12th, 2018, the comic writer, editor and publisher, Stan Lee, passed away due to a battle with Pneumonia he had been diagnosed with earlier this year. A man who had given so much to the world and inspired millions of people only wished to make stories that would inspire people of all ages._**

 ** _To make stories of heroes, and in doing so, he himself became a hero._**

 ** _He inspired millions of people to make their own stories, to make their own pieces of art, as well as helped people in times of need when all hope seemed lost._**

 ** _Stan Lee came into this world as any normal human being, though now he leaves it with a legacy that will stand through the test of time._**

 ** _Goodbye Stan Lee, you will be missed, though you will never be forgotten._**

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: The Search Begins**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Ruby's Guide to The World of Remnant**_

 _ **Vale**_

 _ **The Kingdom of Vale, one of the Four Kingdoms within the world we live in. I've only been there a few times throughout my whole life, though it's an absolutely amazing sight to see!**_

 _ **It's a large city near the western coast of the continent. It's full of all kinds of life, experiences and various other pieces of culture that are scattered throughout the whole city.**_

 _ **My Uncle and Dad have been there more times then they could count, so they know that place like the back of their hand. It's home to one of the greatest Huntsman schools of all, Beacon Academy.**_

 _ **People come from across the whole world just get a chance to get accepted into the school. It's run by the Headmaster, Professor Ozpin, as well as many other kinds of warriors from around the world.**_

 _ **Vale is also home to the King who ended the war eighty years ago, King Arthur. To think that only one man was able to change the world so much, it's a shame that I never got to meet him.**_

 _ **Though it's all thanks to him that we're able to live the lives we have now.**_

 _ **The Kingdom of Vale is definitely built a reputation for being one of the more secure places on Remnant to live out your life. For good reason to, it's got a lot of advantages that the other Kingdoms don't.**_

 _ **If you're ever short on your luck, then maybe settling down somewhere around here isn't such a bad idea after all.**_

 _ **Stay Safe and Happy Hunting!**_


	4. The Search Begins

_**The Story so Far... After the events that had transpired in the forest, our hero made his way to the Tower of Beacon alongside the archeologist, Mary in hopes of acquiring the answers behind the mystery of the relic that Shade had left behind.**_

 _ **Unfortunately, even the Headmaster of the Academy himself was unable to acquire the answers behind the origin of the relic. With more questions than answers, our hero wasn't sure what direction he should go.**_

 _ **That is until the Huntress herself offered a job to the boy in question. It was revealed that Mary was looking for the man who had supposedly perished alongside Mountain Glenn, Doctor Merlot.**_

 _ **She was also offering quite the reward to the boy, though our hero had accepted the offer even before she could have attempted to bargain with him. Despite his attitude of not wanting to get in the business of other people, he told her that he had made a promise to an old friend, one that would allow him to accept the offer.**_

 _ **With the recent events at the warehouse near the Lake District, the duo in question now make their towards the city in hopes that there would be a clue of sorts that would lead them to the Doctor in question.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **The Search Begins**_

The battle for Stavanger had begun, with Amaya leading the fleet that was souring through the skies at blinding speeds. Winter Schnee, the head of the Specialist of the Atlas Army was leading the charge of her team when combating the Gatlinburg that was attacking the capital.

The fleet had made their way over towards the lower levels of the capital, four of the ships splitting in separate directions in hopes to strike down the other threats that were making their way around the city.

Amaya had a very serious expression on her face before she began to open fire upon the beast with the guns that were attached to the airship in question. The Beast started to get disorientated by the sudden attack, giving Winter an opportunity to attack the monster in question.

With her two blades in hand, she used her glyphs to charge towards the Gatlinburg. The airship flew above the beast, causing it to roar in its direction. With its attention off of the Specialist, Winter quickly jumped up into the air and dragged her finger across the larger of the two blades, causing it to glow with a bright white aura.

She roared and slashed the back of the beast, causing a small crater to form on the ground where it's hoves were. The Gatlinburg growled as it's quickly turned around in hopes to start a counter attack.

Winter used her Glyphs to jump up into the air in hopes to maneuver herself around the beast, though it quickly caught onto her plan and charged forwards, sending the white-haired woman flying back towards the ground.

The Gatlinburg roared up to the sky, signaling the strange beasts that were taking to the skies to move towards the ship that Amaya was piloting. These Grimm were known as Dippers, and while they were rather small when compared to the other monsters that took the skies, they made up for it with sheer speed and mobility.

The beasts seemed to hear the orders coming from the Gatlinburg as they were now starting their pursuit of the woman in the airship. They began firing strange red like energy balls at the woman, who simply began to maneuver around the attacks.

"I got trouble," Amaya said into the radio station as she kept moving through the skies in hopes to strike down the group of Grimm that was pursuing her, all while taking as little damage as possible.

Meanwhile, Winter was still attempting to strike down the Gatlinburg that was leading the charge against the city. She was blitzing around the beast, rapidly striking at various parts of its body in hopes to gain the upper hand.

Though the thick skin of the beast proved to be rather difficult to pierce through. The monster kept charging around the city in hopes to end the life of the specialist that was attacking it, though Winter always had a planned method of escape or attack for each of its charges.

Winter jumped up into the air and began to slice at the neck of the Gatlinburg, though this only proved to fuel the anger it had towards the human. It roared to the sky before it let loose a fireball from its mouth, causing Winter to form various glyphs in order to stop the attack from doing more harm to the city.

This gave the beast an opportunity to strike at her, using its large tusks to slam Winter across the grounds of the city. The specialist used one of her summon's in attempts to slow down her.

Once she had regained her footing, she pointed her blade towards the monster as if she were commanding the knight that she had summoned. The Knight summoned a blade of its own before charging alongside Winter towards the Gatlinburg.

While this was happening, Amaya was still souring through the skies in hopes to destroy the Dippers that were attempting to shoot her out of the skies. She maneuvered her ship to where it would still fly in the direction she was currently going in while turning around to face the birds in the sky.

The birds once again began to fire their strange red energy attacks from their beaks, causing Amaya to fire the missiles she had in her ship to counter the sudden barrage.

"Team, status report!" The huntress commanded.

 _"The North District has been secured!"_ One of the other fighter pilots reported.

 _"We're still having trouble in the South District! Requesting backup!"_ The pilot that was flying through the South District reported.

 _"I'm coming to assist!"_ The pilot from the North District said as he began to fly towards the South District in hopes to assist his comrade in need. From the looks of it, the rest of the fleet was having an easier time then she was.

The monsters began to split apart in another formation, causing Amaya to adopt her strategy in hopes to gain the upper hand. She went after the smaller group before she would deal with the larger one.

She began to open fire on one of the Dippers, eventually turning it into ashes that flew in the wind. Not wanting to waste any more time on this one monster, she zoomed towards the with her ship, going right through the beast ashes flying all over the metal of the airship.

With the small threats out of the way, she focused her attention on the larger group that was making their way towards the city at rather fast speeds. Though just as she was about to intercept the small squadron, they pushed their wings outwards, causing them to fly past Amaya suddenly.

"Whoa!" She yelled as the Dippers were now behind the reach of her guns. Before she could turn her ship around to combat them, they began to open fire on the ship that the Huntress was piloting.

While she was able to outmaneuver them for the time being, one of the energy balls hit one of the guns on her ship. "Tricky little bastards." She swore to herself.

During this whole ordeal, Winter was hoping to match the force that the Gatlinburg with the Knight she had summoned. However, there were very few things in this world that could hope to match the sheer brutality that was the Gatlinburg.

The Specialist noticed that Amaya's ship was letting loose flames from one of its guns, which caused her to take action by attempting to communicate to the Huntress in question.

"Get to cover! Reinforcements shall be here shortly!" Winter commanded into her earpiece as she held back the Gatlinburg with the Knight she had summoned.

"They won't get here in time!" Amaya said as she continued to fire upon the monsters that were in the skies. She eventually managed to take down two of them, leaving only one more to deal with.

However, using the other two as a distraction, the other Dipper managed to slip by the radars of the ship the Huntress piloted and made it's way over towards the city once again.

 _"One of them is heading towards the city."_ The specialist said through the radio within the airship, causing Amaya to growl to herself before giving chase to the beast that was making it's way towards the capital.

The Huntress was doing the best she could to shoot down the monster that was soaring above the city, though the time it had spent fighting the ship had given it the information it needed to outmaneuver the ship.

However, just as she was about to get in close in hopes to finish the job, the bird quickly flew up and landed straight first onto the front window of the ship that the pilot was flying.

The Dipper began to rapidly shoot energy ball after energy ball at the ship's front, causing the ship to take more damage as the assault went on. The huntress growled and turned one of the knobs on the console of the ship, causing the guns to shift positions in order to face the threat at hand.

Once the beast had been shot down, Amaya looked at the console to see what damages the ship had taken over the course of the battle in the skies. The right gun had been completely destroyed, the left engine had taken heavy damage and the pilot could feel the air blowing on her skin due to the cracks in the front windows.

 _"This thing is proving to be quite more troublesome than I originally thought!"_ Winter said through the radio, causing the Huntress in the damaged ship to hum to herself.

"I have an idea," Amaya said as she started to press various buttons on the console that was beside her.

 _"Whatever it is, now would be a good time to put such a plan into action."_ The Specialist said as she continued to fight against the monster.

"I only have one shot at this, so I'm gonna need you to hold the Gatlinburg in place." She said before various alarms started to go off in the ship she piloted. "I'm going to overload the ship's reactor, that should give us enough firepower to take this thing down." The Huntress said.

 _"But that would cause the ship to explode!"_ She said.

"That's kind of the idea here!" Amaya said to the Schnee, who in turn merely stayed silent for a few moments before complying with the idea that the pilot had given her in hopes to strike down the beast.

 _"Very well, I shall do what I can to hold the beast in question,"_ Winter said before she rushed towards the Gatlinburg with her weapon by her side. She started to rapidly slash at the head of the beast in hopes to turn it's attention away from the ship.

She jumped up into the air and slashed at one of its tusks, causing it to fall down to the ground. She summoned her Knight once again to latch onto the monster, making sure to keep it in one place.

The reactor in Amaya's ship went into critical overload, causing the alarms in the ship to blare wildly. She pulled one of the levers on her ship which caused her to eject out of the vessel she had been flying.

Just before the Gatlinburg could break free from the grip of the Knight Winter had summoned, the ship crashed into the beast, causing a massive explosion to echo throughout the city.

Amaya fell down the ground safely, only gaining a few scratches upon landing on the stone ground beneath her feet. As the dust began to settle, the ashes of Winter's Knight could be seen flying up into the air, alongside the remains of what was left of the Gatlinburg.

Once the other Grimm had sensed that the monster who was leading the charge had fallen to the hands of the two warriors, they began to make their retreat from the city.

 _"Schnee! The others are retreating into the tundra!"_ The Specialist was notified.

"Excellent. I will inform General Ironwood at once." Winter replied to her comrades before turning her head towards the pilot who had assisted her. "Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Rest assured that I will inform the General that you are in need of a new vessel at once." She said.

"Thanks." She said as she dusted herself off. "The Grimm sure are getting more aggressive these days." The Huntress said.

"Indeed. I am unsure how long we shall be able to hold off their forces." Winter said. "These beasts grow ever prevalent as the days go by." The specialist said to the woman beside her.

While there have been many battles against the Creatures of Grimm throughout history, even more so now that the intelligence of these beasts has continued to improve over the last couple of decades, this battle was given to humanity.

Though there will soon be more battles to fight in the events to follow, some of which won't be against the enemy they had been fighting for centuries.

 _ **...**_

After the whole ordeal back at the Kingdom, Mary didn't want to waste any time heading out for investigation. She believed that a good place to look would be the recent incident that happened near the Lake District, which was rather far away from the city of Vale.

The sun had already set by the time we had entered the city, the moonlight shining over the city to guide those who would choose to wander through the night. This was the main district that handled the overseas trade with the Kingdom of Vale.

I didn't exactly know the whole story about what happened today, as the incident was still rather recent in time. From what I've heard there was some sort of accident in the warehouse that holds all the exported weaponry that's been transported across the seas.

The technology that the Kingdom of Atlas had sent over to the Kingdom's military had mysteriously woken up from their state of slumber and began to take the rest of the cargo exported from across the seas towards the failed project of Mountain Glenn.

The cause of the sudden outbreak is still unknown, though from what Mary had told me she suspects that the doctor who had caused the destruction of the city all those years ago might have something to do with it.

We had been on the road for quite some time, though we eventually managed to make it to the warehouse. The entire facility was surrounded by the Vale Police Department, each of the respective teams investigating the site.

"Looks like we're not the first ones here," I commented as I unbuckled the seatbelt that was wrapped around my chest.

"Not surprising. These things have been happening more often around here." Mary said as she threw the cigarette she had lit out of the window. "Guess that just means all of the rough edges of the investigation have been taken care of." She said before opening the door.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked as I followed her out of the car.

"You'll see." The Archeologist said before she started to walk towards the head of the Vale Police department. There was some small man at the front of the warehouse with a police hat on the top of his head and a grey beard on his face.

The man in question turned around to face the two of us, his grey eyes showing years of experience in the profession he had taken up. "Ah, Ms. Naturae. I suspected you would show up sooner or later." The old man said as he started to walk towards the Professor.

"Mason," Mary said to the newly named Mason.

"Who's the kid?" Mason asked as he moved his eyes over towards me.

"He's a Mercenary, we made an arrangement that's gonna have us working together for the time being. He's gonna help me with some of my research I need to do for the Academy." The Archeologist explained to him, causing me to raise one of my eyebrows at her.

Mary turned her head over towards me and pointed her thumb at the police officer. "Brandon, this is the head of the Vale Police Department, Mason." The Huntress introduced, causing the man to walk over to face me.

"Nice to meet you, son." The Police Officer said as he extended his hand out to greet me.

"...Right." I said as I shook his hand. The man nodded to himself before releasing my hand and turning his head towards the other members of the investigation team.

"Cascara!" Mason called out. One of the women on the team turned her head around before walking over towards the two of us. She had brown hair and was wearing a set of sunglasses on her head.

She wore some sort of brown and black suit, as well as some sort of notebook that was latched to the side of her belt.

"Boss." She said as she stopped near us before she turned her head towards the Professor. "Naturae." The one named Cascara said before she turned her head towards me with one of her eyebrows raised.

"I don't believe we've met." She said to me before walking over with her hand extended outwards. "The name is Cascara. I'm the head of the Investigation team, I've worked with your Acadamy more times than one." The woman greeted with a smile.

"Brandon," I said as I shook her hand.

"So mind telling us what exactly happened?" Mary asked as she started to tap her foot on the stone ground.

"We're still working out all of the details. Though I'm about to figure out the specifics of what happened here in this facility." Cascara said as she started to walk towards the entrance of the warehouse, the other two following close behind.

Though before Mary could get too far ahead, I quickly placed my hand on one of her shoulders. "So I'm just gonna go off of a limb and say that I'm the only one who really knows about this whole ordeal," I said.

"You would be correct." She said before she continued to walk towards the warehouse.

"Not even the law enforcement know about you wanting to track down the old doctor?" I asked as I followed her side by side.

"I would prefer it if no one knew about this whole ordeal. Especially the Law Enforcement and the Huntsmen Academies." Mary explained to me, reminding me that she didn't want to get the Council involved with this situation.

"Right," I said before we walked into the dark storage facility that held all of the exported goods. Most of the crates were gone, and there were a few deactivated machines scattered around the building.

Most of the investigation team was around the interior of the building, salvaging what they could from the wreckage. Though past all that was the part of the team that was conversing with the staff that was on the scene during the accident.

They seemed rather disorientated, though I can't say that I really blame them after the sudden accident during the middle of the night. We eventually came across a group of staff members who were being questioned by the authorities.

"We're just going to question the staff about what happened here, so just sit tight," Cascara said as she walked on over towards the group of staff members alongside Mason, leaving the two of us to stand there idly.

We eventually found a bench near the area where the staff was being questioned, the Archeologist looking at the surroundings of the warehouse in hopes to get any potential leads on the involvement of the man known as Merlot.

I looked down at the palm of my hand, opening and closing it in hopes to get some sort of response from the Spirit that had bound his soul to my own. I was still unable to do what I had done the day before, nor did I really know how.

Mary took notice of my actions and sat down next to me with a puzzled expression on her face. "Something on your mind?" The Huntress asked me with her arms and legs crossed where she sat.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah" I said before explaining the reasons behind my actions. "I've been trying to get a response from Shade ever since he appeared yesterday," I told her as I patted the pocket where the relic that he had left behind was.

"Though so far I haven't had any luck with him," I said to her.

"How did you summon him before?" Mary asked me.

"That's the thing, I'm not entirely myself. It was sort of a spur of the moment thing." I said as I crossed my arms and closed my eyes. "He's been giving me the silent treatment too, so it's not like he can tell me how to use his powers," I explained.

"I see." The Archeologist said to me before returning back to her state of silence. We sat there like this for a few moments before Mary eventually broke the quiet air that had surrounded us, the only sound being the various voices that could be heard around the room.

"Mind if I ask you something?" Mary asked, causing me to turn my head in her direction.

"Sure." I approved, allowing her to speak her mind.

"How long have you been in this business?" She asked me, causing me to give her a question of my own.

"The Mercenary business?" I asked, causing her to nod her head to confirm my statement. To be honest, I hadn't really given much thought to my cover-up story that I had given The Headmaster back at the top of the tower.

So for now, I just had to improvise to avoid suspicion on my part. "For about a month right now," I said to her.

"Right, and you came to Vale in hopes to get better-paying jobs." Mary recollected, causing me to nod my head at her statement. "Figures, most people like you come to one of the Four Kingdoms to possibly make a living for themselves ." She said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked with a rather serious expression on my face.

"People looking to take jobs that require a certain level of experience in the field of combat. A blade for hire if you will." The Archeologist clarified. "Though I gotta ask, what's a kid like you doing in a business like this?" Mary asked.

"..." I remained silent as my mind started to drift to the times before I had come to this world, times that I would rather put behind me if anything. "I would rather keep the past in the past if you don't mind," I said.

"..." She merely sat there in silence, pondering on my answer to her question. The archeologist noticed that I had a rather serious expression on my face, causing her to let out a sigh before speaking up once again.

"Look, we all have our secrets. Even I have a few of my own." She said, though before I could question her, she quickly turned her head towards me with a rather serious expression on her face, causing a shiver to go down my spine.

"Though let's get something straight. If I find out that you've got a less then reputable past, then you and I are gonna have some problems." Mary said with a glare plastered on her face.

"Are we clear on that?" She asked with one of her eyebrows raised, causing me to nod my head with a thumbs up. Mary nodded her head before she turned to face the footsteps that were getting closer and closer towards us.

I turned my head to face the source of the noise to see the head of the police and the head of the investigation team walking over towards us.

"We've got enough details to decipher what happened here," Mason said, causing the Archeologist to nod her head before she stood up. "From what we've been able to get at, the incident happened around midnight, so we're gonna have to go back to a quarter past eleven and a quarter past twelve to get the full story." He said, causing me to stare at the man with a rather confused expression.

"Yeah, from what I've gathered the whole ordeal happened in two places at once. One where the cargo imported from Atlas was, and one near the outside of the facility." Cascara said as she pointed towards the respective area's where the incident took place.

"Alright, let me know what you find out," Mary said before she took out one of her cigarettes and lit it with the lighter she had in her pocket. The two nodded their heads before they made their way over towards the area where the cargo imported from Atlas was.

"So would you mind telling me what they meant by going back?" I asked with one of my eyebrows raised.

"It has to do with the semblance that Cascara has," Mary explained as she took the cigarette out of her mouth and let loose a puff of smoke.

"Here I thought only Huntsmen and Huntresses had semblances," I said.

"As long as you have an aura, you can have a semblance. Everyone one of the head staff in the Police Force has a semblance that caters to their respective professions." Mary explained. "Though not everyone with an aura can unlock their semblance, as the whole process of doing so is rather vague and unclear." She clarified.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"There really isn't a clear way of discovering what you're semblance is. Some can go through their entire lives without discovering what their semblance is." The Archeologist said before getting rid of some of the excess ash that was started to develop on her cigarette.

"Right," I said as I nodded my head to confirm that I understood her explanation.

"Cascara's semblance allows her to rewind the clock in the way," Mary said, causing me to do a quick take to make sure that I heard the description of the semblance correctly.

"So what, she can go back in time or something?" I asked.

"No, as far as I know, there hasn't been a single person in our history who can manipulate the flow of time. Her Semblance allows her to see events of the past." She explained to me before going into a more in-depth explanation of how her abilities work.

 _Meanwhile, with Mason and Cascara_

The two had walked for a few moments before reaching the area where the incident had taken place. There was dried up blood on the floors that the head of the investigation team stepped over as her eyes started to glow with a purple light.

Her aura flared to life before she internally gave some sort of command. _"Set time: A quarter past eleven post meridiem to a quarter past twelve post meridiem."_ She thought to herself as everything around her suddenly stopped dead in its tracks.

As everything came to a halt, the events that had transpired recently began to rewind in the eyes of the investigator, various visions of what happened during the dead of night flashing above her.

Everything zoomed by her as she slowly walked past everyone that had gathered at the site before everything once again came to a halt, an audible click coming from her ears signifying that she was witnessing the incident that happened at the dead of night.

 _"Resume."_ She commanded, causing another audible click to come from her ears as the events began to play out like they did last night. The warehouse was rather quiet during this time of night, only a handful of guards were on duty at the time.

Cascara began to wander around the scene of the incident in hopes to get decipher what exactly had transpired. There were a few silhouettes that were wandering around the area, as the investigator was only able to see the events of the visions she could see, not the people involved with them.

She eventually came across a group of three guards, one of them looking like the head of security that was in charge of guarding the facility. The other two seemed to match the description of the two guards who had been on duty at the time of the accident.

The only thing that the women could see were the events that had played out during the times of the events. Though without proper knowledge of everyone who was on sight at the time of the incident, the visions were rather unclear.

After a brief conversation, the two guards that were on duty at the time began their patrol around the warehouse of imported weaponry. Meanwhile, the man had walked over towards his office while Cascara followed close behind him.

She still had about a half of an hour before the incident took place, so she wanted to make sure that she didn't miss anything important that could possibly explain the reason for the technology going out of control.

The other members had slowly begun to make their way off of the site while the head of security merely sat in his chair as he viewed the various cameras that had been set at the time.

After a few moments of silence, the man had fallen asleep during the time the incident had happened, allowing him to miss the strange figure that had made his way past the other guards who were on the site.

 _"Pause,"_ Cascara commanded, causing everything around her to stop dead in its tracks. The woman walked over to where the man could be seen, which from where the cameras had been stationed would be near the back storage facility.

The head of the investigation team rushed over to where the man was before resuming the vision that was being played out in front of her. The man was rather small, though she wasn't able to get a clear picture of him as she had no knowledge of who this was.

This was around the area where they had found the body of the man known as Jeremy, who had perished due to an unknown force that had been applied to his head. She noticed that he had brought up his arm, the emblem of the letter M floating above it.

The man had begun to type in some sort of code on his arm, telling the investigator that this some sort of console that was strapped to his right arm. Once he was done typing the code in, she could see some sort of drone fly out of his arm.

She had already suspected where the drone was going, which caused her to pause the vision she was having and to head over to the main control room that held the console for the pieces of technology that had been stored there.

Cascara sped up the vision before she saw the drone enter the room, causing her to resume it at the normal speed. Sure enough, the drone had managed to hack into the main systems that kept the Giants in their slumber.

She began to walk on over to where the death of the man known as Thomas had taken place before speeding up the vision that she had been seeing, stopping when she saw the two standing in front of one of the crates.

One of them was attempting to open the box that held the pieces of technology that had been transported from Atlas while the other had turned around to face the area where she had seen the man.

The man who was simply known as Jeremy began to head on over to the area where the man was last seen while Thomas had managed to open the crates that had been placed in front of him.

Cascara shook her head before walking in the direction of Jeremy, knowing the fate that had already befallen upon the man known as Thomas. She had eventually found the man slowly walking around the area with his weapon raised high.

Suddenly, his head jolted in the direction where Thomas had recently perished at the hands to the machines before suddenly the man came out from the darkness and grabbed his head with his right arm.

After a few moments of silence, the man eventually fell to the ground as the perpetrator stood above him before walking towards the area where the man's partner had met his fate.

The head of the investigation team clenched her fist before she followed the man who had taken the lives of these two guards. The sleeping Giants had stood before the man who had awoken them, the figure pointing in various directions as if he were giving orders.

As he had been giving out his commands, the robots had complied by grabbing some of the cargo that had been stored in the facility while some went to take care of the guards that had been placed around the facility.

She had already known where the robots had been ordered to go to, though even if she could her semblance only allows her to view visions of events that had transpired in the area where she had activated her semblance.

Though as the man had finished giving out his orders, he began to make way towards the exit of the facility. Cascara dawned a rather serious expression before following the man as he made his way out of the warehouse.

The back of the warehouse was linked to some sort of cliffside pathway, one that the man had been walking on since he had left the facility. He looked around to see if there was anyone who could be following him before he placed his right hand onto some sort of console that had appeared on the rock wall, causing some sort of secret passage to reveal itself.

The man walked into the cave, causing the vision to come to a conclusion as the time limit she had on her semblance had run out. Her surroundings began to speed up rapidly before she was back to the present, standing in front of the stone wall that the man had just gone through.

Cascara nodded her head before she went back to the facility where the head of the police had been waiting for her to finish her investigation. Once she had found the man talking with some of the staff, she had informed him of the findings she had recently seen, causing him to nod his head before issuing out some commands.

After a few moments had gone by, some of the staff eventually came back with a strange looking metal giant walking beside them, one that had been tucked away Mason's truck. "Sir! Your weapon!" They said with a salute.

"Dismissed." The man said before walking towards the large oval ship that he had owned. The man might have been reaching the ages where direct combat was but a far-off fantasy, though this old dog wasn't about to retire just yet.

He hopped into the chest of the machine before the window above the cockpit had closed, causing the systems in the metal giant to activate and for the vessel to hand over the controls to the man, the two guns on each side activating slowly.

The man grabbed one of the communication devices on the console before speaking his commands into it. _"Assult Squad A, you're with me. The rest of you hold the perimeter until we get back."_ Mason said, causing everyone to voice their approval before a squad of six rushed to the side of the ship that the man was piloting.

 _Meanwhile, with Brandon and Mary_

While it was a rather confusing explanation that took quite the deal of time to fully map out, I was eventually able to get the gist of how Cascara's semblance worked. It may not have any uses in actual combat, though considering her profession it must make her one of the top dogs in the industry she works in.

Though even then I was still pretty confused on a few details on the abilities of the investigator.

"So do you get it now?" Mary asked as she concluded her explanation of how the semblance of Cascara works.

"No, though I've got a general idea of it," I said, causing the woman to sigh before lightly slapping her face with her right palm. It was still a rather confusing process, though maybe it might become more clear in the future.

"Close enough." The Archeologist said before she turned her head to see Cascara and Mason making their way over to where we were sitting.

Though I was slightly caught off guard by the small vessel that the head of the police was piloting, causing me to shoot up from where I was sitting. The man chuckled slightly to my reaction towards his weapon, as well as the surprised expression on my face.

"Have you found anything interesting?" Mary asked as she stood up from where she was sitting with one of her eyebrows raised.

"That I have. I'll explain it to you on the way, we want to make sure that we're prepared in case anything happens." Cascara said as she started to walk towards the back exit of the warehouse.

Mary turned her head towards me before motioning for me to follow the group towards the exit of the facility.

"..." I stood there in shock for a few moments as I was still taken aback by the strange technology that this world had.

Though I eventually shook my head to bring myself back to reality before beginning to follow the group as the investigator began to explain the vision she had seen only moments ago.

I could probably question the man himself about the rather unique way of defense he has, though that could wait until I have an opportunity to even question him on the strange weaponry that this world has.

By the time she had finished the explanation, we had already arrived at the path leading to the cliffside cave that the woman had said was where the man had fled once the deed was done.

"So that's what I saw when I went back. What do you think?" Cascara asked the Archeologist who didn't even bother to turn her head when giving a response.

"Are you sure the emblem you saw was that letter?" Mary asked, causing the investigator to stare at the woman with a rather puzzled expression, though she answered her question none the less.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She said.

"Right." The Huntress said before the head of the police force of Vale called over Cascara from the distance, leaving the two of us to converse alone while the group ahead worked on getting the passage open.

"So you think Merlot has something to do with this?" I asked Mary as she pinched her chin with her right hand.

"I'm not sure. I have my suspicions, though until I have solid evidence of his involvement then I wouldn't rule anything out at the moment." She said as we turned the corner to see the Assult Squad attempting to pry the door open, two little robots floating around the area with their tiny eyes scanning in and out to analyze data to send back to the console of the airship that Mason piloted.

After a few moments of silence, the two robots eventually stopped at one part of the wall before floating on back to the vessel of the old man, settling down on each of the machine's shoulders.

 _"Naturae. Open the door."_ Mason said, causing the woman to sigh before walking over to the door.

I was expecting her to use her vast knowledge to possibly break the code that was used to gain passage to the pathway. This was not what happened, what happened was she took out a strange device before she placed it in her mouth, inhaling as the end of the device turned grey.

Once she had done that, she gripped the bottom of the door with one of her hands which caused some grey like aura to flow around her body, almost like the color you would see on metal.

The Archeologist then proceeded to rip the door open with her sheer strength, throwing it over the cliffside and into the water that was directly below us. Various commands were made to the Assult Squad as each member made their way into the cave with their weapons by their side.

Mason used his ship to make his way into the passageway, the two robots peaking out from where they were resting to shine lights in the darkness while the man shined one of his own on the center of the ship.

"..." I merely stood there in silence, my head still processing the events that had just transpired in front of me.

"You coming?" She asked with one of her eyebrows raised.

"How did you...?" I began, only for the Archeologist to speak up before I could finish my statement.

"It's my Semblance. By absorbing energy through this device I can convert that said power to increase physical capabilities to an unbelievable extent." Mary explained to me. "I call it Smoke." She said to me, causing me to look at her with a deadpanned expression.

"What you come up with that yourself?" I asked with a rather sarcastic tone.

"If you have any better idea's then, by all means, feel free to entertain the thought." She said as she started to walk into the passageway. I grumbled to myself before following the woman into the caves while thinking of potential names to call her semblance.

We walked into the passageway, various kinds of machines were scattered near the entrance to the doors that Mary had recently pried open. The Assault Squad had been scourging through the area in hopes to find some sort of lead on who was behind this.

"Keep your guard up. It might just save you from anything that might be around here." Mary told me, causing me to stare at her with a rather confused expression. It wasn't the fact that she was telling me to keep my guard up that confused me, it was more confusion on how she worded her second statement.

As if she were telling me that my guard was a physical thing rather then just a figure of speech. Though then it finally clicked in my head as to just what exactly she was referring to, which now that I think about was a real problem in the grand scheme of things.

"Yeah, about that," I said, causing Mary to stop dead in her tracks before turning her head towards me with one of her eyebrows raised. "The thing is that I don't necessarily have a guard to keep up so to say," I explained, though this only caused the woman to stare at me with a rather confused expression.

"What are you talking about?" The Huntress asked me.

"The thing I'm trying to say is that I've never had my aura unlocked," I said, causing her to stare at me with an expression of surprise written on her face.

"Hold on, you mean to tell me that if we were to be ambushed for whatever reason, any and all damage you would take would be mortal?" Mary asked as we stopped in front of the entrance as the rest of the team investigated the cave.

"Pretty much," I confirmed before making an argument before she could say anything.

"Well, there was a lot on my mind at the time!" I said, though this only caused the woman to sigh as she rubbed her temples. "...Right, I suppose this whole ordeal is rather overwhelming for someone your age. Though try not to let information like that slip in the near future." Mary requested before she started to walk off into the caves.

"I'll try," I told her before following close behind the woman.

We continued to make our way through the cavern until the Assult Squad eventually called us over to some sort of vehicle that was hidden in some sort of hole on the walls of the cave that the man had escaped into.

There was an empty space beside the vehicle, implying that whoever had made this cave had a spare method of transportation in case something went wrong with the whole plan.

 _"Guess he must have used this route to escape,"_ Mason said before turning towards his group. _"Alright, team! I want you to sweep the area before we pursue this man any further!"_ The man said, causing everyone to voice their approval before scattering around the tunnel.

 _"Cascara, I want you to lead the search."_ He said, causing the woman to salute to the man before walking after the team that had been assigned to the investigation of the area.

 _"Naturae, see if you can't see what these systems do."_ He said, causing the Huntress to nod before making their way over to the console that was at the side of the walls of the cave we were in.

I was about to wander around the garage that held the strange vehicles, though Mary quickly poked her head out from the side of the wall with a rather serious expression on her face.

"Don't touch anything." She said before moving back towards the console with the head of the investigation team. Once I was certain that she was completely engrossed in figuring out how the systems to the caves worked, I made my way over to the truck that was parked in the stone garage that was within the cavern.

At first, I thought that I would have to search around the area in order to take the car as I had done many times before, though upon gripping the handle to the car, I found that it was unlocked.

Why I had to do that in the past is another story, one that I wish to put behind me.

I climbed into the car with the expectation of it being like any normal vehicle, though this was not the case. While it may have been a common system in terms of the technology of this world, the very layout of the whole thing looked like something out of a science fiction film.

While the Archeologist's car was still more complicated than anything that my world could have made, I could at least grasp the general idea of how it works. With this, it seemed to be far more complex then what I saw earlier today.

"Alright," I muttered to myself as I began to attempt to figure out how to even start this thing. I started to press various buttons that were on the console of the whole thing, though it only proved to fuel my confusion.

"Come on," I growled as each of my efforts to get this machine running only ended in failure.

Meanwhile, Mary had been attempting to decipher the controls and purpose of the system that was in the caves that the man had used to make his escape. Though the more she found out of how the system was laid out, the more she started to suspect that the man who caused the destruction of Vale's expansion all those years ago had something to do with it.

The system was almost identical to the one that was used by Merlot Industries, though there were some notable differences between the two. While the original system was used more for the management of Artificial Intelligence development, this one was used for more to manage the units that operate various kinds of weaponry.

While the Artificial Intelligence units that were made before catered to managing systems that were used in the military, the ones that she could see from on the screen of the console were more suited for combat.

She came across the schematics of the weaponry that had been stolen from the warehouse, the ones that the new Intelligence units would operate. There were many plans, schematics and other types of layouts that were scattered throughout the system.

"Hmm." The Huntress hummed to herself as she made her way through the various uses for the console that was attached to the walls of the caves. Though after a few more moments of moving through files and systems, she eventually came across the layout used to develop this way of passage.

Though what she saw only fueled her confusion, as this went far beyond just a simple escape route. There were various other layers to this passageway, one that went beyond the walls that surrounded them.

During this whole ordeal, I had finally managed to get this vehicle up and running, the engines that rested in the front of the machine roaring throughout the caves and echoing into the darkness.

Though before I could begin to see how this new piece of technology could operate, the sound of alarms started to echo throughout the passageway. The screen of the systems that the Huntress had been scourging through started to turn from a light blue to an eerie red, a warning sign planted on the front of the screen.

Before the Archeologist could attempt to override the alarms, the system had shut her out and activated its defense protocol. Suddenly, the sound of a metal door could be heard coming from above the caves, causing a large metal giant to land on the ground with its bright blue eyes.

While it was an unfamiliar model to the majority of those who were in the tunnel, the Huntress clenched her fist once she saw the familiar letter that was plastered on the bot, her knuckles turning white with anger.

Similar sounds could be heard coming from above the ground, the sounds of various gunshots and thundering footsteps could be heard from the surface above.

"What happened?!" Carcara asked Mary who was currently taking out the device she used to absorb the energy she needed to increase her physical strength.

"The system just activated the defense protocol in response to unfamiliar activity behind its controls! It just activated every dormant piece of technology that was in that warehouse!" Mary said before placing the device in her mouth. "They've been programmed to open fire on any threats that may inhabit the area!" She said.

The man known as Mason began to issue various orders to the Assult Squad that had been tasked with searching the caves that contained the systems the perpetrator had created, causing everyone to issue their approval before making their way out of the passageway.

Cascara followed close behind the head of police with her pistol at her side while Mary ran past the metal giant before making her way towards the vehicle that I had started.

"Mary! Where are you going?!" The Investigator asked as the Huntress turned her head around to face her.

"I'm going to lead this one away from the city! The rest of you make sure the ones in the warehouse don't breach your defenses!" Mary said as she turned the corner that led into the garage.

The woman nodded reluctantly before making her way back to the surface while the Archeologist ran beside the car that I was in.

"The hell's going on?!" I asked as Mary opened the door to the driver seat.

"Move!" She told me as she began to climb in, forcing me to make my way over to the passenger seat. She gripped the wheel and began to move the truck out of the storage cave that was hidden in the stone walls.

The robot turned around to face the two of us, it's eyes scanning the vehicle that the Huntress was driving. After a few moments of tense silence, the eye's of the metal giant turned red as it's voiced boomed throughout the passageway.

 _ **"Target Acquired."**_ It's robotic voice boomed as it aimed it's weapons at the armored truck that the two of us were in. Mary slammed on the gas and made her way down the tunnel that the man had escaped in, the metal giant following close behind us.

"Where the hell are we going?!" I asked as I held on to the inside of the vehicle for dear life.

"Anywhere but here!" She growled before she sped up the car. The car began to stumble on the ground as the robot began to fire its weapons at us, small rocks falling from the top of the cave as the ground began to rumble.

"I don't suppose you have that gun you mentioned you had while you were wandering through Vale?!" Mary asked as she dodged the various hazards that were being thrown our way.

"No, I lost it while I was escaping from a Worgen back in the forest!" I responded.

"Damn! Guess it's time for my second plan!" She growled before she started to turn some sort of dial on the end of her weapon that she had in her mouth.

"What was the first plan?!" I asked.

"It was to bring down this cave on the robot that's chasing us, though considering neither of has the firepower to do so, we're gonna lead it out of this passageway and I'm gonna take it down myself!" Mary said.

"What about me?!" I questioned.

"What about you?! You don't have an aura and the best thing that you've defeated is a Minotaur! Which when you think about it, you wouldn't have been able to take down unless you had that Spirit bound to you!" She growled. "This thing isn't just some monster you're gonna find in the forest, this is a machine designed to kill anything it sees as it's enemy, which at the moment would be the two of us!" The Huntress said.

I growled in response though I held my tongue none the less as I couldn't really give a solid counter argument for her reasoning. We eventually managed to reach the end of the passageway, the car driving off the hill that led to the cave in question.

Mary slammed her arm on my chest to prevent me from flying through the front window until we hit the bottom of the hill. Once we had landed on the ground, Mary quickly opened the door and rolled out of the vehicle, making sure the car didn't flip over.

"Out!" She commanded, causing me to nod my head as I made my way out of the vehicle. The robot landed at the end of the hill, causing Mary to casually flip the car on its side to act as a shield for me.

"Stay behind there!" Mary ordered before inhaling the energy that was stored within the device she had in her mouth. As much as I wanted to aid the woman in battle, there wasn't really a lot I could offer that wouldn't just burden her.

A metal colored aura started to form around her as she stood before the robot that had pursued us from within the passageway. Its eyes glowed with a red like glow before it began its assault on the Huntress.

It reeled it's metal fist backward's before throwing it in the direction of the Archeologist, though the woman was able to jump up into the air to dodge the attack. Once she landed on the ground, she rushed towards the metal giant at surprising speeds.

She began to rapidly punch the giant with a strange energy that was formed around her fists, though the robot quickly threw one of its fists at the woman in attempts to strike her down.

However, Mary reacted quickly by jumping off of the metal of the mech before landing on the arm the giant used in hopes to gain the upper hand in this battle. The Huntress quickly jumped over the machine, though it's systems adapted quickly by firing one of the missiles that was on it's back, causing Mary to go flying in the air.

Once she landed on the ground, she rushed towards the bot with a glare plastered on her face. The metal giant raised it's fist up into the air before it slammed it back down on the woman's figure, though she was easily able to block the attack before she pushed it to the side and shot herself up towards the main frame of the bot, a metal aura surrounding her body as she slammed her fist into it.

The robot began it's counter-attack, though Mary quickly kicked off of the giant before she could take the forefront of the attack. It started to shoot it's energy guns that were on its shoulders at the Huntress, though she was able to dodge them for the most part, grabbing the last one before punching it back at the robot.

Mary ran towards the giant robot as its systems were analyzing the situation at hand before jumping up and punching the metal giant. She made various flips, kicks, and jabs at the robots, her agile fighting style making her rather difficult to hit.

It attempted to swipe at the woman, though the energy she had acquired from her weapon gave her the power she needed to block the attack. She grabbed the arm of the giant before throwing it forward's and quickly turning around to slam her fist into the giant's frame.

The robot stumbled on the ground before two hatches opened on it's back, causing two more minor robots to shoot out from the small capsule it had on it's back. The two wasted no time when charging towards the woman, though they were but merely a fraction of the power of the main one.

Mary had no trouble when fending off the two bots that the metal giant had summoned, though she was unaware of the purpose behind this new course of attack. Once the two had gotten in the range of the woman, she prepared to attack once again, only for the two to start glowing brightly before exploding suddenly.

This caused the Huntress to go flying back into the forest, various trees being knocked over as a result of the force of the explosion.

"Mary!" I called out through the dust. "Damn it!" I growled before I slammed my fist onto the bottom of the car, only for the figure of Shade to appear behind me for a brief second, causing a visible dent to appear on the bottom of the car.

"Huh?" I wondered, though before I could test the strange set of conditions that caused Shade to appear, I saw Mary rush through the dust with a glare plastered on her face. The two engaged in combat once again, only for Mary to quickly roll under the legs of the metal giant before latching herself on the small capsule that was on the back of the robot.

She began to rapidly ram her fist into the capsules, causing various sparks to fly out from the insides of the backside of the robot. Once small explosions started to detonate on the back of the metal giant, the Huntress quickly jumped off of the bot as it stumbled forwards, the capsules it had on it's back being engulfed in flames.

After a few moments of silence, the bot burst into a storm of fire and metal that made its way into the skies. The aftershock spread all throughout the forest, the leaves on the tree's rustling on their branches.

The woman let out a sigh of relief, causing all the excess energy she had been storing throughout her being to release into the air. She walked over to the vehicle slowly, causing me to come out from behind it.

"Figures one of them would be here." She said before she flipped the car once more and got into the driver seat. Mary attempted to start the car, though the only thing she got was silence, causing her to growl as she hit the dashboard.

It was then I realized that the recent strike to the vehicle was probably the reason why it wasn't working anymore.

"About that." I began, causing her to turn her head towards me with a rather confused expression. Once she had flipped the vehicle on its side once again, she could see the oil from the bottom of the car leaking out from where Shade had dented it.

"How the hell did you do that?" Mary asked before kneeling down to see the damage.

"I'm not entirely sure if I'm going, to be honest. It sort of just happened, as if Shade was responding to my own will." I explained.

"Hmm, so it's kind of like aura." She said, causing me to stare at the woman with a rather confused expression.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean that what you described is very similar to how one uses their aura. Aura responds to the mind and soul of the respective user, protects them from harm and allows them to develop abilities that would normally be impossible for the average man." Mary explained. "I suppose being bound to your soul acts with a similar function." The Huntress deduced before she stood up to face me.

"Try doing it again." She said, causing me to nod my head before attempting to summon the being once again. I tried to do just as she had instructed by using my own will to manifest Shade.

The Spirit eventually manifested by my side, though not fully as the entirety of the body was rather faded and weak when compared to when I saw him in that strange plain of existence the first time I met him.

Though before either of us could speak, he vanished in a mere second. "Hmm, looks like we have some work to do. In the meantime..." Mary said before she turned her head towards me and walked over with her hand reached out.

Though just before her hand could reach me, I moved my head around to face her only to be startled by her sudden actions, causing me to stumble backward's.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I slowly backed away from her.

"I'm going to use my aura to unlock your own." She said, causing me to look at her with a rather unexpected expression.

I understand that she told me that she would help me manifest it, though I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon after she figured out that I didn't have mine awoken yet. "Right," I said, causing the woman to raise her hand up to my head with her metal like aura following around her.

"Close your eyes and concentrate." The Huntress instructed, causing me to nod my head and seal my eyes shut.

After a few moments of silence, she began the chant that was said too many others throughout the history of this world. _"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder..."_ She said, only to stop right before the end.

"Why'd you stop?" I asked as I opened my eyes to see a rather confused expression.

"Something's wrong," Mary responded.

"What do you mean? I don't feel any different from before." I said as I looked at the palms of my hands.

"That's the thing. I'm trying to awaken your aura by using my own, though it's like there isn't anything flowing through your soul to awaken." She said with a rather serious expression on her face.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. Hold on, let me try again." She said as she activated her aura once again before starting to recite the chant she had said earlier. Though while this was happening, I started to hear faint whispering from within my head, as if the relic was reacting to the mere feeling of the aura.

"Mary," I called out once I heard the whispers in my head.

"Not now. I'm trying to concentrate." She brushed me off, only allowing for the whispers to grow louder within my head, as well as the feeling of the Spirit forming from outside of my soul.

I was about to warn the Huntress once again, though the Spirit suddenly manifested before letting out a single roar into the sky, causing a small shockwave to spread throughout the area while pushing the woman backward's.

Mary was about to say something about the sudden force that pushed her back, though she quickly caught herself once she stared into the eerie white eyes of Shade. While his figure wasn't exactly clear to the naked eye, it was still visible none the less.

Though before either of us could react, Shade vanished as quickly as he had appeared, leaving the two of us to process what had just happened. "..." Mary stood there in silence as she stared at me with a wide-eyed expression.

"The hell was up with that?" I asked.

"...I don't know." She admitted before she started to walk towards me. "There are a lot of strange things going on with this whole ordeal, though I'll try my best to give you an explanation," Mary said with a rather serious tone, though before I could question her, she quickly spoke up.

"For whatever reason, whenever I try to use my own aura to unlock your own, the only response we get is Shade starting to manifest. It might explain why I didn't feel anything from you when I was trying to unlock your aura." She explained. "It might have something to do with the fact that now both of your souls are bound together. Though to be honest I'm still not entirely sure what's going on, all I know is this..." The Huntress began before telling me a piece of information that caused everything in my mind to come to a halt.

"You may have great power, though it's almost as if you don't even have an aura because of the spirit that is bound to your soul." She explained, causing me to stare at her with a rather shocked expression.

"...What?" I asked with the same expression I had on my face throughout this conversation.

"It's like I said earlier, the way you were able to manifest your spirit was very similar to how one manifests their aura. Perhaps that holds true in more ways than one." She said as the two of us stood there in silence.

The only sound that could be heard was the sound of the wind blowing around us, though Mary eventually managed to break the silence with the sound of a growl escaping her mouth.

"This really makes things much more complicated. I was intending to head on over to Mountain Glenn later this week, though knowing what I know now I can't just send you off into the fallen city even with me beside you, it would be a death sentence." Mary explained as she pinched the brim of her nose.

"You thought I was tough enough to go to Mountain Glenn even before you found out about my lack of aura?" I asked.

"No, though as long as I was there I could make sure nothing bad happened while we were there. Now making our way over there would be much more of a challenge considering the only thing defending you from the Grimm would be Shade and me." The Huntress said.

"So what now?" I asked.

"Right now, we wait until any more possible leads pop up while I train you to handle yourself in a place like that." The woman stated. "It could take us months, though if that's what it takes then I'm gonna get you into fighting shape as soon as humanly possible." She said before pointing one of her fingers.

"I hope you're ready. Because this isn't just the average job that you've taken on, this is a mission that will decide the fate of the future to come. You need to be ready to go through hell." Mary explained.

"Are you prepared?" Mary asked, causing me to nod my head with a determined expression on my face. If it helped me become a better fighter then I'd be willing to go through whatever training I needed to in order to take this guy down.

After all, I've already been through hell.

"Alright. Then let's not waste any more time." She said before she started to walk towards the Lake District. I had been thinking about what I had learned of the woman known as Mary Naturae over the course of these past two days. I hadn't really thought much of her, though she was a rather deceitful person when you really think about it.

That's when it hit me, a name that would not only perfectly fit the way Mary carries herself, though the very weapon that she possesses.

"What about Deception?" I asked, causing Mary to turn around to face me with a rather confused expression.

"What about it?" She asked.

I probably should have opened up by telling her about the challenge she made for me at the entrance to the passageway.

"A new name for your Semblance. Deception." I told her as I began to explain to her why I had chosen the name. Once I had finished said explanation, the woman stared at me with a neutral expression.

"...Not bad." She said before continuing her trot through the forest, though the accomplishment of this challenge had a rather bittersweet feeling to it due to this recent misfortune. I quickly looked back at the area where Shade had manifested for that brief second.

I shook my head before I started to follow the Huntress into the forest with Shade at my side.

 _ **...**_

Meanwhile, on an island that was just outside of the coast of Vale stood a hidden facility within the mountains of the island. Many machines roamed the facility as they passed tanks filled with a strange green substance.

Though at the center of it all was an old man, one with one red eye and a metal arm. He stood before a console that was currently replaying the events that had followed in the facility that his robots had raided the night before.

The man's eyes wandered around the various screens as they played out the recent breach into his hidden passageway. Though once his eyes fell onto a rather familiar figure, the only eye that was not made from machine widened suddenly.

"Hmm?" He hummed, viewing the battle that had transpired in the middle of the forest outside of the Lake District. Once the battle had concluded, the man closed his eyes before walking back towards the research labs.

"I see. Even now you still see to stop my creations." The man stated to himself as he walked out of the room. "It has been quite some time, old friend. I cannot wait to see how times have changed over the ages." He said before he walked into the darkness.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus another chapter of our story has come to an end. Our hero, along with the woman who seeks a man presumed dead get closer to possibly reaching their goal.**_

 ** _However, just as things had started to look up for the duo, they had come across a rather dire setback on their journey to find this man. One of the main tools that were used by humanity in order to combat the devils that roam their realm cannot be wielded by our hero._**

 ** _Moving forward would almost certainly lead to the demise of our hero, thus putting them into a temporary stalemate until the boy hones his craft until he is able to adapt in a world that is plagued with beasts that would tear him to pieces._**

 ** _The boy wanders the world with the only means of defense being his own wits, and the being known as Shade to guide him through the trials ahead. Though perhaps such a simple thing is all that is needed to survive the road he now walks._**

 ** _Only time will tell._**

 ** _Credits_**

 ** _Writer: Quebec_**

 ** _Editor: Smitten_**

 ** _To address the criticisms that have been made with the most recent reviews, the lack of aura was made in order to balance out the power that our protagonist has acquired from Shade._**

 ** _For those of you who are worried that the story is moving too quickly, rest assured that I plan to take my time as I did in the original, though I wanted to introduce the main conflict straight away rather than waiting for ten chapters to do so._**

 ** _Characters like team CFVY will have more of a roll in the events to come, as they were originally meant to. Though those of you who had come here from the original telling of this story are probably curious about the future of Coco's story now that she and Mocha, now named Cascara are no longer connected._**

 ** _The reason for this decision is due to the team CFVY book that has been announced to be released in the year 2019. Now, this does not mean that the team will not be relevant until the book officially releases, as I plan to take my own liberties with some of the characters._**

 ** _Though the book that will be released will really aid the writing of those characters in the future of the story, as I plan to get it myself._**

 ** _As for those of you who are afraid that things will not be able to live up to the original, I consider volume zero as you all have dubbed it to be one of my worst volumes._**

 ** _I wanted to go back and not only change that telling of the story but to change the direction in which I take this tale. I was not satisfied with how the original was turning out as I believed that I was just writing it as I went on, only having a general idea of what I wanted to do but didn't know how to do it._**

 ** _With this one, I plan to put much more thought and planning into it. Though I do plan to keep elements from the original intact, such as the sarcastic humor that has been built._**

 ** _Though I plan to prioritize character interactions and growth over the humor of the story._**

 ** _Things will be different, that was always a given. Though I believe that it will be for the better in the grand scheme of things._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _Next Chapter: Battle Royale and The Man of The Earth_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _Ruby's Guide to The World of Remnant_**

 ** _Aura_**

 ** _Now, I still don't really understand how this whole thing works myself, though from what I have learned from my Uncle, I might be able to put what he said into words._**

 ** _From what he said, aura is the manifestation of one's soul and can be used for a wide range of abilities. Though nobody can have the same power, as the abilities that can manifest are unique to the person._**

 ** _For example, when I was young I had discovered that I could use my aura to amplify my speed so that I could move faster then the eye could see. The way I discovered this was when my Uncle Qrow startled me by appearing out of the thin air._**

 ** _I got startled and burst into the forest, leaving a trail of rose petals behind me for some reason. This ability is what most would call a Semblance, which is the unique power that I told you about._**

 ** _Though not everyone discovers what their semblance is, as it can vary based off of the person._**

 ** _However, I, Ruby Rose, will do my best to explain to you all how you can form your own semblance. From what I've been able to gather when I thought back on what triggered me to awaken my semblance, I've discovered that it can awaken based on the person's desires._**

 ** _For example, I want to always make sure that I'm never late for the fight, as well as wanting to make sure that nobody dies under my watch. To do so, I would need a semblance that allows me to move from place to place at fast speeds while making sure I take out as many bad guys as I can._**

 ** _If you want another example, my sister Yang wanted to make sure that no matter what she was put up against, she could always prevail even when everything seems hopeless._**

 ** _That's how she developed her semblance, which allows her to use the force of the enemy against them. Though from what my Uncle Qrow told me, it can also develop based off of the person's regrets._**

 ** _Not sure what he means by that though. Though I doubt I ever will, there are a lot of conditions that determine how someone gets their respective semblance._**

 ** _Stay Safe and Happy Hunting_**


	5. Battle Royale and The Man of The Earth

_**The Story so Far... The events that had transpired within the grounds of the Warehouse have proven to be quite fruitful when it comes to getting closer to the goal that the Huntress of Beacon seeks to accomplish.**_

 _ **The man known as Merlot was indeed behind the incident that had caused the metal giants to awaken from their slumber, as well as turning on their supposed masters.**_

 _ **Now, a destination has been found, as well as the next course of action for the plans of our heroes. The tomb that rests in the mountains, the one known as Mountain Glenn.**_

 _ **However, there has been an unforeseen obstacle that has presented itself before our two heroes.**_

 _ **The tool simply known as aura, the shield that has been guarding humanity for as long as man could remember walking this world,**_ ** _is forever out of the grasp of the boy with the spirit bound to him._**

 ** _It is a tool that has been used for the ages that man has been fighting against the trials that plague this world._**

 _ **The Huntress, knowing that making their way to the ruins would surely mean certain death for the boy now oversees his training in hopes that he will one day be prepared to take on such a place.**_

 _ **For now, they search for more any more potential clues that would lead them towards the whereabouts of the man in question in hopes to put the souls that were lost all those years ago to rest.**_

 ** _..._**

 ** _Battle Royale and The Man of The Earth_**

Quite some time has passed since that one incident at the warehouse in the Lake District. It's been relatively quiet for the most part, apart from the usual happenings that go on in the world that we live in.

Though there was nothing that could possibly lead to the whereabouts of the man known as Doctor Merlot. I'm still not sure of where exactly I am in the timeline, as yet to hear anything on the escapades of a familiar group of girls.

Then again, things don't really pick up that much until later in the timeline. However, I would have thought that I would have at least heard of the incident that happened at the convenience store.

Implying that's what they call them here, though I do remember that the name of the shop was called "Dust Till Dawn" which from what little we saw looked like one of your average convenience stoors.

It might have been a regular dust shop though, still getting used to all this new technology that I've been seeing all around the city. Some of it is pretty tame for the most part, though others can look like they came straight out of something in a movie.

Living here is gonna take some getting used to, especially considering the state that my old home was in.

I've been staying with Mary ever since we met one another near the entrance to the forest awhile back. It's been a rather decent experience all things considered, though our talks are usually short-lived for the most part.

The Huntress hasn't been pulling any punches when it comes to the training that I've been undergoing ever since the incident at the warehouse near the Lake District. It seems that she's pretty adamant on continuing our search as soon as humanly possible.

Though sometimes she forgets that aura isn't exactly something I have access to at the moment, which is a pretty large issue when it comes to dealing with things in the near future.

I still don't know why I can't even access aura, as the only one who can really know for certain would be the one causing this whole ordeal. That would be the being known as Shade, the Spirit that brought me to this world in the first place.

Though as of this moment he has still yet to give me any form of response when I even try to engage him. Even after all this time, the only time I ever see him is when he actively acts upon my own will.

I don't really know why he's been acting like this, I doubt I really will until he actually decides to break the silent treatment he's been giving me. Until then, he responds when it is time to call upon him so I suppose that's good enough, at least for the time being.

At the moment I was just sitting on the couch that was in the living room of Mary's house while watching this world's version of television. It was pretty confusing to figure out at first, though I was eventually able to learn how this thing works.

It was really the only real way of learning what was going on in the world around me, as I didn't have the communication device that was pretty common around these parts. That, of course, being a "Scroll" as they called it, which I have still yet to acquire mind you.

While I don't exactly see a use for it at the moment, I'm sure it would come in handy in the near future. Though for now, this was really my only way of knowing what was going on.

The woman known as Lisa Lavender was on screen, as well as her supposed co-worker, Cyril. There wasn't really anything of interest that was going on around the world, at least nothing that I haven't heard before.

I stretched my arms out before moving my hand in front of me in order to grab the remote. I closed my eyes for a brief moment before the faded silhouette of Shade appeared in front of me to grab the remote that was on the stand in front of me.

Though before he could place it into the palm of my hand, he faded away within a single second, causing the remote to fall to the ground beneath me. I sighed before I got up and went to go and pick up the remote that was sitting on the rug of the house.

It was an issue I had been dealing with ever since I started training under the Archeologist, that being I can only keep Shade manifested for only a single second at a time. Now believe me when I say that I've tried a number of times to increase the time I can keep him manifested, which is the reason I do trivial tasks with his help. It's all in hopes that I can maybe just get one more second when it comes to the time.

However, no matter what I seem to do, one second is all I get. I have been getting better at my swordplay, though the fact that Shade can only respond to my will for a single second is frustrating, to say the least.

I was about to switch the channel to a station that was showing something more interesting until I overheard the next section of the news report.

 _"In other news, Helios was able to fend off another planned attack by the local Troll's that inhabit the Tundra's of Solitas,"_ Lisa said, causing me to look at the screen with a rather curious expression.

I placed the remote back onto the table that was in front of me before sitting back onto the sofa in order to listen to what the news network had to say. _"The Military Base that inhabits the continent has taken many of these attacks as of recently, though the Military of the Kingdom of Atlas stood against this threat once again."_ The woman explained.

 _"Though it was a rather fearsome battle, with the lives of many valiant soldiers being lost in order to defend the compound,"_ Lisa said. _"Within the following week, there will be a funeral march within the Kingdom of Atlas in order to honor those who have sacrificed their lives to ensure the safety of those who live lives of security."_ She said before Cyril began to speak.

 _"The Schnee Dust Company has ensured the Military that their actions will not go without reward, as the head of the company, Jacques Schnee, has issued his workers to move to the compound in order to repair any damages that have been made, as supply them with the tools necessary to combat any future assaults."_ He said, causing me to raise one of my eyebrows at the mention of the name.

It was the first time I had heard the official name of the man known as Jacques, as I had only ever managed to watch the first episode of volume four before I was dropped into this world.

 _"What's more is that the company will be hosting a ball in order to commemorate the ones that were lost during the assault within the months to follow, as well as a concert that will star the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, Wess Schnee,"_ Cyril said, causing me to do a quick double take.

 _"All those who were related to anyone who had fallen in the battle will have an invitation to the ball. We wish you the best of luck, and you have our condolences."_ The man said as I sat in front of the screen with my eyes widened.

I could be wrong, though if that concert is the one that was shown in the trailer showcasing Weiss's character then I was dropped in the past. The screen was showcasing a picture of the girl beside her father as they stood before the memorial that was made for the people who died in Helios.

There were other individuals who were in the picture, though I only recognized a hand full of the individuals that were being showcased. There was General Ironwood, who was standing beside the white-mustached man, who I can only assume was the one they called Jacques.

Next to the General was the specialist known as Winter Schnee, who looked just as serious and composed as she did in the stories. Though other then those two, excluding Weiss, I didn't recognize any of the other individuals that were being showcased in the picture.

Though that wasn't the thing that caught my attention, instead it was the fact that I now have an actual basis to go off of when it comes to how much time I have before the events of the original story start to play out.

From what this new piece of information was telling me, as well as a collection of other events that have recently transpired, I was sent into events that took place before the actual story.

Another thing that gave me a general idea of how much time would pass before team RWBY would finally meet was the initiation that had already taken place about one month ago.

This means that the events that would unfold right now would have taken place one year before the story begins. So gathering all that information would mean I have exactly eleven months before everything starts to move towards the original timeline.

Though on the other hand, there's no guarantee that things would play out the same way they did before. The course of history can be shifted in many ways, some I won't even notice until it actually happens.

Many things can happen that would change the way things play out in a drastic way, so I'll need to tread lightly. Though until then, I have about eleven months to devise some sort of plan for the things to come.

There are still a lot of things about the future that I can't predict, though maybe I can use what I do know to turn the tide of history in a more favorable direction.

Before I could switch to another station in order to find something else of interest, I could hear the lock of the front door of the house begin to turn. I looked over the sofa as the door opened, seeing Mary walking inside with a cup of coffee and a cigarette in her mouth.

Though before she could enter the house, she quickly smeared the end of the piece of tobacco on her right boot before throwing it into the trash can outside the door. "I'm back." She said as she closed the door behind her.

"You know those are bad for you," I commented, though the same tired expression was still plastered on her face.

"I'm aware." She said to me before placing her bags onto the table in the kitchen next to the living room.

"Then why do you keep doing it?" I asked with one of my eyebrows raised.

"I have my reasons." The Huntress answered before she started to take out various maps that she had gathered from within her bag. "Anyways, I want to talk to you for a moment." She said as she motioned me to walk towards her.

I raised one of my eyebrows before placing the remote on one of the arms of the sofa as I started to make my way over towards the coffee table that was in the center of the kitchen.

"So what do you want to talk to me about?" I asked before I sat in one of the chairs.

"Well, you and I have been training for about a month now. While you still have a lot to learn when it comes to dealing with the bigger kinds of issues, I think you're at least qualified for what I have in mind." Mary told me as she sat down in the chair with her arms crossed, causing me to stare at her with a rather confused expression.

"I don't follow," I said.

"You seem pretty capable, even before I met you in that forest where you helped that group. I gotta say I was a little taken aback when you told me about your time in that Forest." The Huntress said to me.

"That's why I'm going to give you a little mission that will take everything you've learned so far and put it through a test that I've devised." The Archeologist said, causing me to stare at her with a rather surprised expression.

"It won't be anything too spectacular, just a little mission to go and investigate something that's been going on outside the Kingdom of Vale." She said to me. "Though there will be an added challenge within this whole test, just because this is your first mission doesn't mean it won't put you in a tough position," Mary said, causing me to stare at her with the same confused expression I had on my face since the beginning of this conversation.

"Here, let me tell you about what it is I want you to do," Mary said as she pulled out one of the books she had in her bag. "There are many towns that live in and around the Forests that surround this part of the continent, though this one, in particular, I'd like you to investigate." She said to me as she started to flip through the pages of the book.

From what the book cover said, it was one of the books that Mary kept on her person in order to take notes of anything that may interest her. Once she got to a certain page, she placed the book down in front of me. I looked at the book and started to read the information that was jotted down, it was a town simply known as York.

I read the description of the town, as well as the brief history of it's founding before I nodded to myself before pushing the book back to her. "Alright, so how exactly do I get to this town? I'm not exactly seeing a map that's gonna lead me to anywhere in particular." I asked, though her response wasn't exactly what I was expecting.

"I'm not telling you." She said before pushing the book back towards me. I stared at the woman for a couple of moments in silence, still taken aback by the answer she had given me.

"...Right, so how exactly do you expect to solve this problem of yours if I don't even know where said problem is?" I asked.

"I leave that up to you." She said.

"...Fine, what do you want me to do?" I asked as I sat down in my chair, crossing my arms out of frustration.

"I want you to investigate some potential suspicious activity that's been stirring up near the area. I'm hoping it's nothing that warrants any worry, though if you find out that whatever's been causing suspicion amongst the townsfolk is a much more serious matter then we thought, then I want you to put a stop to it." She said to me.

"This won't just be a mission that will test your combat abilities, it will be a test to see how you can handle a mission such as this with nothing but your own wits and experiences," Mary said. "Also, I'm gonna need to request something of you." She said, causing me to stare at her with one of my eyebrows raised.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"I'm gonna need you to keep my involvement in this mission to yourself. You cannot tell anyone, no one at all, especially someone from the academy, about who gave you this job in the first place." The woman said. "I can assume that you can piece together why on your own." She said, causing me to nod my head to her.

"So have you been to the Town of York before?" I asked her, causing her to nod her head.

"That's right." She said. "Though I was recently assigned a mission, which is why I can't do it myself. You've proven yourself to be rather trustworthy during the course of this past month." Mary said.

"...Alright, I promise that I won't tell anyone of your involvement in this mission." I told her.

"Good, I want you to take the book with you. It might help you on your journey in the long run." She said as I picked up the book in question. "I wrote down the specifics of the mission once you get to the Town of York, though how you get there is entirely up to you," Mary said, causing me to nod my head as I made a mental note in my head.

"I'll be back in two weeks, try to have the mission done in that amount of time," Mary said before she got up and started to walk towards the stairs of her house.

I slowly started to look back at the book that she had given me for the time being before picking it up with my right hand. I started to flip through the pages of the book to see if there were any potential clues hidden within the pages, though from the looks of it, the book was just one of the regular notebooks that she would use to keep track of things more efficiently.

There wasn't anything hidden within the pages or the cover of the notebook. After searching for any possible leads for a few moments, I sighed in defeat before closing the book, leaving a slight bookmark in order to bring me back to the page that had the details of the town written in it.

I placed the book back down on the wooden table that sat at the center of the kitchen before I began to play out the details of the mission in my head one last time to make sure I got everything down.

So from the looks of it, I'm supposed to locate some sort of town that's in the outskirts of the forests that surround the Kingdom of Vale and investigate any suspicious activity that I may or may not find in the town in question.

All with one piece of information at my side, that being the name of the town, as well as a time limit of two weeks in order to complete the mission that the Huntress has given to me.

So yeah, saying that this was going to be challenging would be one hell of an understatement. I sighed to myself before I turned my head back towards the stairs to see the Archeologist in question walking down the steps with her gear dawned on her back.

"I'm heading out. Try not to die out there." Mary said as she gripped the door and opened it to greet the sunlight.

"Thanks," I said with a rather dry tone before I turned my head back towards the book, though I was quickly stopped by the sound of the woman's voice calling back to me from the doorway.

"Hey." She said, causing me to turn my head back towards her with one of my eyebrow's raised. "...I'm counting on you," Mary said as she lit a cigarette and walked out of the door, closing the way of passage behind her as she ventured out into the world. I sat there for a bit, blinking a few times before I turned back towards the book that she had left in my custody.

There was no use getting all worked up over it now, so right now I need to focus on finding a way to complete the mission that was presented before me. I picked up the book and placed it into one of the pouches that I had on my belt.

First thing's first, I need to find someone who actually knows where this town is, then I can plan my next course of action from there.

 _ **...**_

 _One week later_

It was a rather nice day outside, with the sun shining down on the city while the birds sang their songs in the trees that inhabited the various landscapes of the kingdom. The entirety of the residential district was rather packed today for some unknown reason, making traversing the town rather difficult in the grand scheme of things.

I had been searching around the various districts of the city for the answers to the whereabouts of the forest that was in the forest that surrounds this part of the continent, though so far the search hasn't exactly been going well.

Going into this whole ordeal, I already knew that finding this town would prove to be rather difficult, though I didn't expect for it to be as challenging as it turned out to be. Though I suppose part of my problems could be linked with the fact that I had no idea where I was going.

Unfortunately for me, it seemed that every corner of the city seemed to be covered by various citizens and or tourists, making it incredibly difficult to find out where I was, as well as where I should be going.

I grumbled to myself before once again attempting to make my way through the crowd in hopes to get a sense of direction. I would try to ask people about the town in question, though the only thing I managed to get from them was either the silent treatment or a rather rude gesture.

There was something big was definitely going on around here, though I doubt it was the Vytal festival that I've heard about in the stories as I do remember it saying that the festival took place every two years, as well as in a different kingdom.

So seeing as next year would be Vale's Vytal Festival, I doubt that's what people are scrambling around for. I could see people carrying around various kinds of materials that I assumed had been transported from either the surrounding communities or made here in the city itself.

I could see various kinds of wood, metals, as well as many other kinds of goods that I couldn't make out as the caravan that was transporting it was covered in some sort of white cloth.

Though after a while I decided it was best to turn to my own thoughts, as even if I had turned off my deductive instincts, it wouldn't really help in my current situation. After a while, I decided to pull some people aside in hopes that I could get some answers.

"Hey," I said as I grabbed one of the shoulders of a man that was walking down the road. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Hands off, bud!" The man snarled before pulling his arm out of my grasp. "I've got no time to answer whatever questions you may have, best ask it once you get to the commercial district!" He said as he began to walk back into the fold and vanished into the crowd.

I sighed in frustration before shrugging and glancing over towards the buildings that towered above the large group of people. I mused to myself about the possibility of climbing up the buildings in order to get past this large crowd, though the sights of some rough looking bodyguards made me reconsider the idea.

Though before I could plan my next course of action, I overheard some sort of conversation going on in the sea of voices that really caught my attention. "Today's festival is sure gonna be an exciting one, considering all of the new students that were recently accepted into the academy are considering coming down to participate in today's battle royale." One of the men said to his companion.

The man in question was a tall man with black hair and rough features, while his friend was rather short with brown hair, as well as a pair of goggles on his face and a bandana wrapped around his neck.

"You got that right, though it's a shame that Jacob isn't going to be participating this year." The other man said to his friend. "Ever since Wilhelm was taken out by that one job twelve years ago he hasn't been coming to participate in the festival." He said.

"Well, those two were always a dynamic duo ever since they were young from what I've heard. They'd go on all sorts of adventures around the world, see new places and discover the unknown." The man said, causing my attention to slowly shift towards their conversation.

"Yeah, those two were the champions of the tournament, especially Wilhelm. That guy was unrivaled when it comes to strength, there weren't a lot of people who could compete against him." He said.

"Well, I suppose time catches up to us all eventually. Best to leave the guy live out the rest of his life however he wants to." He said.

So, these two explorers named Jacob traveled around the world with his late partner named Wilhelm. So that means they've probably been to a good chunk of the towns that surround this place, which means that he might be my one-way ticket to figuring out the location of the town of York.

I started to shuffle through the crowd until I finally managed to reach the duo in question. "Excuse me," I called out to them, causing them to turn their heads towards me with curious expressions.

"You talking to us?" The one in brown asked as he pointed to himself and his partner.

"That I am, and you wouldn't happen to know where this Jacob guy is, would you?" I asked the duo, causing them to look at one another before turning their heads back towards me.

"Yeah, he runs a tavern in the commercial district called The Brothers Tavern, named it after his late brother, Wilhelm." The one in the goggles explained to me. "Though good luck getting there, this place is packed for the Festival of Might and Will." The black haired man said of them said.

"The Festival of Might and Will?" I asked, causing the two to look at me with a surprised expression.

"You mean you're not here for the Festival?" He asked me, causing me to respond by giving them a puzzled expression. The two glanced at one another with confused glances before addressing me again.

"Well, every year the Kingdom of Vale hosts a festival where the various capitals and settlements that are under the Kingdom's rule all gather to compete against one another in order to honor the Last King of Vale. It's supposed to signify unity through competition, whether it be through combat or other means of proving yourself." The man in the goggles explained.

I guess that would explain why so many people are wandering around here, must be some sort of tradition amongst the people who live under the Kingdom of Vale to participate in this festival.

"So what do you want to meet Jacob for?" The black haired man asked me, causing me to break out of my thought process.

"Oh, I just wanted to ask him some questions about some sort of town that I've been looking for. I need to make it there within this week or so." I explained to the two, deciding it was probably best to keep the reason for my desire to make it to the town of York to myself for now.

"Hmm, what town are you looking for? Maybe we can save you the trouble of waiting in this line for hours on end." The man in the goggles said.

"Ever heard of York?" I asked, causing the duo to look at one another for a quick moment before turning their attention back towards me.

"Can't say that we have." He said. "Though if anyone knows where that town is then it's gonna be Jacob." The brown-haired man explained.

"Yeah, though don't worry, we're gonna rise to the top soon enough." The black haired man said with a prideful expression plastered on his face.

"I don't suppose you two know where this little tavern might be?" I asked as I crossed my arms with one of my eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, it's in the upper parts of the Commercial District, let me write it down for you." The man in the goggles said as he started to pat his pockets in hopes to find something to write down the address of the tavern.

"Come on, I could have sworn I had a pen somewhere." He mumbled to himself.

"Here," I said as I pulled out the notebook, as well as a pencil that I picked up back at the house. The man took the book and flipped to one of the blank pages before writing down the address.

"...There." He said before handing the notebook back to me. I thanked him before placing the book back into one of my belt pouches, bending one of the edges of the pages he wrote down in to keep track of the information.

Though before the three of us could continue to converse amongst each other, the sounds of loud clattering noises behind them quickly cut us off.

"Make way! Make way!" We heard someone say as we turned around to see a group of strange vehicles carrying some sort of cargo across the street. The group came stampeding down the road, the engines roaring throughout the area. "Heavy load coming through here!" One of them said as people began to scramble out of the way to make way for the caravans.

"Whoa!" The black-haired man who I had recently met said as he grabbed one of my arms and pulled me off the road. The caravan group could be seen walking down the streets with various goods stored within the units they pulled.

There were also some heavily armed people guarding the caravans.

"Cargo for the festival coming through! Make way!" One of them shouted to the crowd.

"Hmm." I hummed to myself as a rather devious plot started to hatch within my mind. Though before I could weigh my options, the voice of the two men could be heard to my side, causing me to turn my head towards the duo.

"Looks like traffic won't be letting up anytime soon." The black-haired man said before turning to face me. "Well, hope you find your way to the tavern. We're gonna hit the road before things get too crowded." He said as he turned around towards the route to the commercial district.

"Take care...Sorry, guess we didn't get your name." The one in goggles said.

"Oh, Brandon." I finally introduced.

"Right, my name is Pin, and this here is Garth. It was nice to meet you." The newly named Pin said to me as he motioned towards his partner Garth.

"Take care, Brandon. Maybe we'll cross paths in the near future." The man said as the two started to walk off into the distance of the crowd. Once the duo had faded into the crowd, I quickly started to walk to the back of the caravan group until I could see last of the convoys.

I quickly looked around to see if anyone was following my movements, though once I saw that I was going unnoticed, I put my plan into action. I made my way to the back of the caravan and jumped inside, making sure that I didn't go noticed by the driver up front.

Once I had made my way in the back of the convoy, I slowly peeked my head outside from the rumbling caravan. From behind the thick canvas, I watched as the vehicles slowly made their down the streets of Vale and towards the Commercial District.

Several other vehicles and guards were already present and waiting in front of the caravan that I was stowing away in. Though before I could get settled in, the sound of a group of voices could be heard from behind me.

"What do you see out there?" I heard a male voice ask, causing me to almost blow our cover from the sudden voice speaking to me. Though I quickly slammed my hand up against my mouth to prevent the driver from hearing me before slowly turning around to see two other stowaways in the back of the caravan. One of them was a rather large man with brown hair, while the other one was a female with red hair.

Though she seemed to be fast asleep.

"Are we at the Commercial District yet?" He asked, causing me to glare at him with daggers in my eyes.

"What's the matter with you?!" I whispered to him, causing him to put his hands up in defense.

"Whoa, easy there kid. I just wanted to know if we had managed to make it into the district safely." He said.

I sighed to myself before I gave him a response. "No. We haven't arrived yet." I whispered.

"Hmm, guess we've got a ways to go before we arrive at the district. Here I thought we were being clever by hiding in here. Though it seems we're still stuck in this traffic like the rest of the Kingdom." He said with a snort. "Anyways, it looks like we started off on the wrong foot. What's say we start over?" He asked as he extended his hand outwards.

"I'm Boar, that girl over there Torch. We're travelers trying to get to the Festival of Might and Will in the plaza." The newly named Boar introduced.

I stared at his hand for a few moments with the same glare that I had on my face, though after a few moments of silence, I took a deep breath in hopes to calm myself down. The glare eventually passed before I grasped the hand of the man named Boar.

"Brandon," I said as I shook his hand.

"So what brings you to the festival? You don't look like much of a fighter." He said, causing me to give him another glare. Boar quickly caught onto my disdain for his statement and began to attempt to make amends. "I didn't mean anything by it if you are a fighter I assume that you're going to be participating in the battle royale?" Boar asked.

"...No, I'm just making my way to the commercial district to meet up with someone." I told him as I leaned back in the caravan we were hiding out in.

"Ah, same as us then. Must be really important if you're willing to stowaway in one of these caravans in order to get to them faster." The man said to me. "As for the two of us, we're heading to the commercial district so we can meet our boss, the three of us want to participate in the Battle Royale today in hopes to get the reward from Morisan." He explained.

"Right," I said, not particularly interested in the story that Boar was telling. The only thing on my mind was to find this Jacob guy in order to possibly get the location for the town of York.

Though now that I think about it, this guy did say he and his partner were travelers, so it's entirely possible they know about the town in question. "Hey, mind if I ask you something?" I called out, causing Boar to quickly stop himself during the telling of the tale of him and Torch.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Have you ever heard of a town called York when you were traveling around the continent?" I asked him, causing him to look at me with a rather confused expression.

"Can't say that I have, though maybe Torch has," Boar said as he started to lightly tap the girl on her side, causing her to jolt from her sleep before shooting up into a sitting position.

"Wha-? Are we there yet?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"No, though our friend here wants to ask you a question." The man said as he pointed his thumb at me.

"Who?" The girl asked me as her vision became clear.

"That would be me," I said to her, though she still bore the same confused expression.

"...How long was I asleep?" Torch asked.

"For about a few hours." He said, causing her to stretch out her arms. "The boss is waiting for us in the Commercial District, said this was gonna be one of our big breaks in a while," Boar said.

"That so?" She said.

"Yeah, though he said that there were some pretty tough looking customers, so he said we're gonna have to give it everything we have in the competition." He said.

The two continued to go back and forth for a while as if they had completely forgotten that I was even here. It wasn't until I had cleared my throat that they finally turned their attention towards me.

"Oh, right. What did you want to know again?" She asked.

"York. Ever heard of it?" I asked with one of my eyebrows raised.

"Hmm." Torch hummed for a few moments before she eventually gave me an answer. "No, doesn't ring a bell." She said, causing me to slap one of my hands onto my forehead out of frustration.

The ride went on for what felt like an eternity, though the uncomfortable caravan ride finally ended as we overhead the driver announced that we had finally arrived at the Commercial District.

The three of us quietly peeked out from behind the caravans, trying to gauge the situation before doing anything. The Caravan finally entered the district, though one false move could get us caught and thrown out immediately. I watched closely at the scenery around us for an opportunity to escape.

We appeared to be in a large, circular plaza. I watched in amazement as people of all kind wandered around the area, filling the air with a wave of chatter and merriment. It was a rather lively place, as each person was getting ready for the festival in question.

Surrounding the plaza was a wide array of small stands, each and every one of the buildings being built from the ground up. Many were still getting their wares out of the storage units they were using to carry the resources needed to set up shop.

"Look's like we're near the festival grounds," I said as I peaked my head out from the caravans.

Boar also poked his head from behind the cloth to analyze the situation. "Think we can make a break for it?" I asked.

"Not yet." He replied, making sure I couldn't do anything that would blow our cover. "If we make a move now, we'd definitely be seen." The large man said to me, causing me to nod my head before continuing to stare out into the distance.

After a few moments, the caravans began to move once again. I looked around to see where exactly we were going, though once I got an idea I quickly turned around to face the duo.

"Hey," I said, causing Boar and Torch to turn their heads towards me. "They're moving the caravan over to someplace where they can unload the cargo. We're gonna have to make a move before that happens." I said, causing the others to nod at my assessment of the situation.

Boar quickly peeked his own head from out of the caravan in order to make some sort of plan. "They'll be fewer bystanders roaming around once we're out of the plaza, so once we're in a more quiet spot we can make our escape. I'll go about my business and you two can go about yours." He told us.

"Sounds like a plan," I said as the man started to gather the things that he had placed in the caravan. I quickly peeked out of the caravan one more time, the number of people surrounding the vehicle had significantly decreased as the caravans entered the side of the road and out of the plaza.

I turned my head around to the back of the group and gave them a quick nod, signaling that it was time to make our escape. "Alright." Boar began as he pointed his fingers at the exit of the convoy.

"Got it, once I give the signal, we make our escape," Boar said, causing us to nod our heads before we huddled around the exit to the caravan. After a few moments of silence, the man began to count to three slowly.

"Get ready."

He gripped his bag that was wrapped around his shoulders tightly, snorting loudly as he stood at the exit while Torch started to loosen her shoulders.

"..." The man stood there in silence as he waited for the moment we could make our escape.

A bit of sweat started to slide down the side of my forehead as I waited for the signal. "Go!" He shouted, causing all three of us to simultaneously jump out of the caravan. The sound of the voices of the group that was driving the set of caravans could be heard from the front, causing us to not waste any time with our escape once we landed on the ground.

"Run!" He shouted though I didn't even wait for him to finish his command before running down the streets in hopes to escape the caravan guards in time. "Good luck out there, kid!" Boar shouted as he and his companion made their escape, though his words were rather distant as I had already made my way around the city in hopes to escape the guard.

I kept running down the streets of the city in hopes to make a successful escape, though once I was certain that nobody was following me, I placed my hands on my knees before letting out a breath of exhaustion.

Once the exhaustion finally passed, I quickly stood up and pulled out the book that Mary had given me. I started to flip the pages around until I finally managed to get to the page with the address of the tavern written down on it.

I looked around the streets of Vale before I started to walk around the kingdom in hopes to locate the tavern that the man known as Jacob ran.

 _ **...**_

After a couple of hours of wandering around the commercial district later, I finally managed to locate the tavern that the explorer known as Jacob ran on his own. It was a rather small building, though I suppose this just means that it would be easier to find him.

I placed the book back into one of my belt pouches and started to walk towards the front door of the tavern that the man ran. I grasped one of the handles and stepped inside, the bell at the top of the door ringing in order to signify that someone had arrived.

Once I actually walked inside, I could see that the place was pretty much empty. Though that's to be expected as everyone is probably at the festival grounds in order to prepare for the Battle Royale that I've heard about.

"Something you need?" I heard a rough voice ask, causing me to turn my head towards the counter of the bar that was on the side of the room. The man had grey hair to signify his old age, as well as some sort of beard around his chin and upper lip.

He was currently placing various kinds of bottles on the shelves of the bar, as well as many different kinds of cups. "You Jacob?" I asked, though the man continued to place the bottles and glasses on the shelves without turning his head to face me.

"I go by many names, though yes, I am Jacob." He responded.

"I'm Brandon. I need your help." I said as I walked over towards the counter before taking a seat on one of the stools. "I've heard that you were some famous explorer back in your youth," I said as I sat near the counter.

"That I was. Though I've left that life behind me now." Jacob said as he placed another bottle on the shelf behind the bar.

"Well, you've been to a lot of unknown places, right?" I asked him.

"That I have." He said.

"Great, I need your help to find a town that I've been looking for quite some time now," I said to him.

"I've been to a lot of places. Though there are even places that I don't know about. The world we live in is full of mystery after all." The former explorer said to me.

"Ever heard of a place called York?" I asked him, though it didn't seem to phase him as much as I originally thought it would.

"As I said, I've been to a lot of places. Makes it difficult to keep track of them all." He said. "Though the town does sound familiar, maybe I might be able to tell you. For the right price that is." Jacob said as he placed the last bottle on the shelves.

I sat there in silence for a few moments, blinking a few times as I realized that there was a slight problem to the deal he was offering. The amount of currency I have in my pocket was currently zero.

"Yeah, about that..." I said as I started to scratch the back of my head. "I sort of don't have any money at the moment, though maybe we could come to some other deal?" I asked him.

Jacob was about to respond as he picked up one of the glasses from the counter behind him, though his words were cut short as he accidentally tipped over the cup sitting right next to it.

Though before he could curse his carelessness, I quickly used Shade's fast movements in order to catch the glass and place it back onto the counter. The explorer stared at the area where he had just seen the spirit for a few moments before staring back at me.

"Hmm, let me think..." I said as I placed my hand on my chin, though the look of astonishment didn't leave the face of the man before me. It was as if he couldn't believe what he had just seen.

He was about to dismiss the boy away due to him not having anything of value on him, though the sight of the faded figure of the Spirit quickly made him reconsider sending him away.

The man started to examine the figure of the boy, seeing the various tatters in his clothing as well as an ammo pouch that he had on his belt. Upon further inspection, he noticed that the boy had a fairly fit figure all things considered.

He could tell that he had seen his fair share of combat, though the Spirit is what really caught his attention. It was fast enough to catch the glass as it was falling towards the ground, as well as precise enough to grasp it firmly enough to where it wouldn't be damaged.

All this had happened within the span of a single second, and Jacob would not have even noticed the Spirit if he had just blinked for a mere second during the whole ordeal. However, as he stared at the cup that the strange ghost had just prevented from falling to the ground, he noticed that there were small cracks around the area where he had grasped the cup.

This meant that even with his light and careful touch, the sheer force the spirit had behind him was enough to crack the glass even when he was trying to prevent himself from doing so.

The mind of the man quickly went to work at formulating a cunning plan, one that would surely lead him down the path of success.

"Hmm..." I hummed as I continued to think about the possibilities of a potential deal that could be struck, though the man quickly pulled me away from my thought process once I heard him speak up.

"Listen up, kid. I've got a proposition for you." He said as he leaned on the counter of the bar in order to face me. "One that I think will benefit the both of us," Jacob said to me.

"Go on," I said as I raised one of my eyebrows at him.

"You want to know where the town of York is, right?" The man asked me.

"So you do know where it is," I said to him.

"Yeah, and from the looks of it, your pockets seem to be pretty light at the moment, am I wrong?" He asked, causing me to shake my head in response to his statement as I crossed my arms at him.

"Alright, I've got something for you," Jacob said as he turned around before he withdrew something that was being stored inside of one the drawers that were behind the counter of the bar.

Once he turned back to the front of the counter, I could see a colorful sheet of paper in his hands. I eyed it curiously as Jacob handed it over for me to see. From the looks, of it, this was an advertisement for the Battle Royale that was taking place in the plaza of the Commercial District.

"Read it." The man said as he motioned his hand towards the slip of paper. I nodded my head towards him before I started to dart my eyes across the piece of paper that the man had given me.

 ** _"Come one and Come all! The time has come once again! Vale invites the strongest and the bravest to partake in a Festival of Might and Will. Today, when the sun has reached its peak, The Kingdom will be holding a grand battle royale at the main plaza! Show your strength and skill in front of the Kingdom that ended the Great War Eighty Years ago!"_** The flyer said.

"Grand battle royale?" I questioned as I raised one of my eyebrows at it. "Yeah, I've heard of it as I was walking through the city. Though what does this have to do with the deal you want to strike?"

"More then you think." He said with a chuckle. "As a matter of fact, this is one of the key parts of the deal, as you will be participating in this battle," Jacob said, causing me to stare at him with a rather surprised expression.

"...Why?" I asked him.

"Consider it a trade of sorts," Jacob said. "If you battle in this event and win, then I'll tell you what you want as a reward. That fair?" He asked me.

"I don't see how this would benefit you in any way. It's not that I have a problem with fighting, though I don't exactly understand why I have to do this." I questioned him with a suspicious glance.

"There's a little reward for the winner of this competition, a little reward gonna help me out with a little situation I have with someone." The man explained.

"What situation would that be exactly?" I asked him.

"My business is my own. All you need to focus on is winning that competition, do that and I'll tell you what you want to know. I'll even tell you how to get to York once all is said and done, so this deal is pretty much in your favor." Jacob explained to me.

I eyed the man suspiciously, as I was still skeptical about this whole ordeal since the deal like he said, was pretty much in my favor. The only thing he wanted out of this was the reward that was given to the winner of the battle royale.

However, it was those said intentions is what caused me to doubt his intentions. Though it's not like I had any other choice in the grand scheme of things, as this was really the only lead I had when it came to the location of the town of York.

I glanced down at the poster once again, pondering on whether or not this deal would be worth the trouble it would bring. All I had to do was participate in this battle royale and defeat the rest of the competition. Once I did that then I'd be able to get what I want, that being the location of the town, as well as a route to get there.

After giving it some thought, I figured that it was worth the trouble if it got me the location to the town. Even though I'm rather unfamiliar with this world and how it operates, there is one thing that I'm quite confident of.

That being the strength of Shade, as well as my control over the power that he had bestowed upon me. "Alright, I'll bite," I said, causing the man to grin to himself. "I'll participate in this grand battle, though you better uphold your part of the deal. Otherwise, you and I are gonna have some issues." I told him.

"Now we're talking." He said to me as he extended his hand outwards. "It's a deal."

I nodded before I grasped his hand with my own, shaking it to seal our agreement. Once we had sealed the deal, the two of us started to make our way towards the festival grounds in hopes to win the prize given to the victor.

 _ **...**_

Once we finally made it to the plaza, we were met with a swarm of people that were gathered around the streets to participate in the festival. At the center of it all was where most of them were gathered, though Jacob and I sat up on some sort of building in order to get a better view from the crowd.

At the center of the stage, I could see the rather rude man I had met earlier in the morning standing at with a microphone in his right hand. I suppose that's why he was in such a hurry this morning, though I'd still like to give him a piece of my mind later.

The crowd started to murmur amongst themselves as a tall dark skinned man started to make his way towards the center of the stage. He patted the guy on the back before taking the microphone out of his hands, causing the man to walk off the stage.

He was a rather muscular man who's figured let off a rather large shadow as the sun shone down on him. Once the crowd was silenced by his commanding presence, he shot one of his fists upwards to the sky, sending a shockwave that shook the entire crowd.

The entire gathering of people roared with applause and cheers for the man that stood before them. The man grinned at all the attention that was being sent his way before he started to speak into the microphone while pointing at the crowd.

"Hello!" He shouted to the crowd. "I, Morison of the Kingdom of Vale, welcome each and every one of you to the Grand Festival of Might and Will! His words were only amplified as fireworks started to go off in the air above him while music started to play from the speakers that were scattered throughout the plaza.

"Now, I know you're all ready to see what this year's combatants have in store for us in the Grand Battle Royale!" The newly named Morison shouted over the cheers and music. "Believe me, I'm pretty interested myself." He grinned at the crowd before pounding his fists against each other, making a loud sound similar to that of an explosion.

"Though my agents back at the base told me that I gotta announce this fist." He said with a shrug before he pulled out a white envelope from his pocket. "Nothing I can do about that folks!" Morison said.

"Ahem." He coughed loudly before he opened the letter. "Let it be known that all the warriors battling here today will be under the watch of Kingdom's Finest Warriors. Today will be a day where people can prove their worth towards the people under our banner, as well as to commemorate the Late King Arthur for ending the Great War and bringing peace between the nations of the world." Morison said in a rather monotone voice, clearly wanting to get to the combat as soon as possible.

"Today is a day won through one's strength and willpower, as those were the very tools our King used to put an end to the war eighty years ago." He said.

By the way the letter was written, it was very clear that the man had someone else write this speech for him, rather than trying to think of one on his own. "The only thing that will be judged on this day is the strength that has taken you through the trials life has given you! So don't hold back and show the Kingdom your best!" He said as he started to crumple up the piece of paper before chucking it into the crowd.

"That about does it! Do you want to prove you're the strongest there is? Then you go out there and fight until your knuckles are red with blood! Show us that you are proud to be called a warrior of the Kingdom of Vale!" He shouted, causing another wave of fireworks to shoot up into the air while the crowd erupted with cheers.

"Now, let's begin!" He shouted as he lept high into the air, only fueling the adrenaline that was spreading throughout the crowd. The man landed in some sort of airship that was flying above the stage, two other standing by the doorway.

Once the airship flew off into the distance, everyone started to prepare for the battle royale that would begin once the sun had reached it's highest point. Which would mean the competition would begin at high noon.

Jacob and I made our way back onto the ground before making our way through the crowd of people that had flocked from all around the southern part of the continent in order to participate in the festival.

A low whistle managed to escape from my mouth, as I was impressed by the series of events that were scattered throughout the area. Half of the plaza had been set up just for the combatants that were going to be participating for the battle royale. Tall stands and platforms were set up for musical performers, as well as other forms of entertainment.

Various different shops owners had set their own booths up in order to advertise their respective product, which ranged from all kinds of products, though the most notable ones were the various kinds of weapons that were being sold.

I walked over to a stand that was selling some sort of pistols, some of which I had never seen before or had been modified in a way beyond my imagination. "See anything you like son?" The shopkeeper asked.

"Hmm...got anything that's double action?" I asked, causing the man to nod before pulling out a nice looking double action revolver from the shelves under the display of weapons.

I grasped the weapon and began to inspect it thoroughly. It was larger then what I was used to, the overall length of the gun being around fifteen, though it was a rather nice revolver none the less.

The length of the barrel was around eight, or around twenty centimeters if I had to guess. It was heavier as well, though I suppose that's to compensate for the possible power this thing can dish out.

I opened up the cylinder to the weapon to see that it could house five shots within the chamber. While it wasn't as good as my own personally modified revolver from back when I was on earth, it was a nice alternative.

"You like it? That fine piece of metal that you have right there hold's point five hundred Smith and Wesson magnum rounds packs a real punch when compared to a semi-auto." He said.

"Right," I said as I held out the revolver to give it back to its respective owner.

"I don't suppose you'd consider purchasing such a fine weapon?" The shopkeeper asked.

"Sorry, I don't exactly have any weight to my pockets at the moment. Though I don't suppose you take I.O.U's as a form of currency?" I asked.

"No can do. Can't just go giving these away, you never know what the person behind the weapon might do with it." He said as he took the revolver from my hands.

"Didn't think so," I said to him with my arms crossed. Though before I could continue to inspect the various weapons he had in stock, I could feel a hand grab my grab, forcefully pulling me away from the shop.

"We're not here to shop! Quit wasting time!" Jacob scolded angrily. "Now come on, we're signing you up for the main event!"

"Alright! Quit pulling my arm!" I growled as I yanked my arm out of his grasp. The man led me through the crowd and towards some sort of stand that was at the side of the circular ring in the plaza. At the top of the stand was a large billboard, displaying a rather well-drawn picture of various combatants.

"Go on," Jacob said as he lightly pushed me towards the front of the stand. There were two women that sat behind the table, one had light blonde hair while the other had regular black hair. Both of them were rather busy making their way through the various piles of paper that were stacked over the surface of the table.

"Hey," I said, causing the black-haired woman to look up from her paperwork before staring out into the distance with her chin rested on the palm of her hand.

"Welcome to the Battle Royale of the Festival of Might and Will. Name and...?" She began, only for her eyes to meet the thin air before her. "Uh..." She began, causing the blonde haired girl to turn her head towards her partner.

"Something wrong, Gabi?" The girl asked the newly named Gabi.

"...I thought I just heard someone who wanted to compete, though I don't really see anyone else. Do you, Gina?" Stella asked the newly named Gina.

"Hmm..." She said as she stood up from her seat and began to scan the area. "Hello! Anyone else looking to compete?!" Gina shouted towards the crowd of people.

"Down here," I said, causing the two to look down towards me. They blinked a couple of times before Gina finally broke the silence that filled the air around us.

"Hiya! You looking to compete, stranger?" She asked me in a cheerful tone.

"That I am," I said to the duo with my arms crossed. The girl stared at me with a rather interesting expression on her face, causing me to stare back at her with one of my eyebrows raised.

However, before I could speak up, the girl known as GiGiquickly began to scold her partner. "Quit staring at our contestants and do your job." She said as she pulled Gina back down to her seat. "You can ogle them all you want once the event is actually over." The black haired girl said.

"Who said I was ogling?" She asked rather indignantly. "Don't think I didn't see you sneaking a glance at that guy from earlier. Honestly, I don't see what you find appealing about those sorts of men." The blonde haired girl said to her partner.

"You just can't comprehend the kind of charm that a man like that can have!" She retorted. "Sometimes you must look past the surface you see before you and look upon what is locked within," Stella said.

"Besides, even you said that despite his muscular appearance that his attitude was rather charming." She accused as she pointed her finger at her.

"Alright, you've got me there. Even I have to admit, that one soft-spoken guy from earlier was rather appealing." Gina said.

Though before the two could continue their argument, I quickly cleared my throat in order to get their attention. The conversation was quickly cut off as the duo turned their heads towards me as I continued to tap my foot on the ground.

"Are you done?" I asked in an irritated tone.

"Oh, right, of course." Gina quickly said with an expression of embarrassment. "What's your name?" She asked me as she pulled out some sort of slip of paper from the pile right next to her.

"Brandon Kim," I told her, causing the blonde haired girl to write down my name.

"Where are you from?" Gina asked me.

"Vale," I said, causing the duo to look at me with questioning expressions written on their faces.

"Can you be a bit more specific?" Stella asked with one of her eyebrows raised.

"Residential District," I said.

"Ah! So you're playing for the homefront!" Gina said as she wrote down the information on the slip of paper she had in her hands. Once she wrote down a few more pieces of information, she placed it into a pile next to her.

"Alright, all done!" She said as she bent down underneath the table and withdrew a small, rounded object. I noticed that it had the number forty-four printed on the surface as she handed it over to me.

"This is your badge," Gina explained as I took the object from her hand. "You'll enter the ring once your number is called, so don't forget it." She said.

"Right," I said as I placed the badge onto the front of my jacket that I was wearing. "Thanks," I said as I started to walk towards Jacob once again.

"Good luck out there!" She shouted as Jacob and I started to make out way towards the area where the contestants were waiting. "If you win, don't forget that I was the one who signed you up!"

"Gina..." She groaned as she shook her head and covered her face with her hand. Once we actually entered the waiting area, we could already hear someone calling out a set of four numbers.

"Contestant ninety-two, twenty-five, ninety-seven, thirty-five and forty-two, please enter the ring!" I heard someone shout, causing three men and one woman to walk towards the arena that was in the center of the plaza.

"Sure are a lot of people here," I said as I scanned the crowd of various contestants that were scattered around the waiting area.

"Well, this is a time of year that everyone across Vale's territory looks forward to. Would have thought you would have known that, seeing as you are from Vale." Jacob said, causing me to internally swear.

Though I quickly came up with an excuse that would explain my ignorance. "I'm a foreigner. I just recently came in from Vacuo a month back. Thought it would be nice to get away from the blazing heat." I said.

"Yeah, that's probably for the best. I heard some pretty unfortunate things were going on in Vacuo, like how waters been getting harder and harder to find these days." Jacob said, causing me to stare at him with a rather confused expression.

However, before I could question what he meant by that, he quickly placed his hand on his stomach which was letting loose a rather low growl. "Guess I forgot to eat lunch while we were here. I'll be right back, see what the food stands here are offering." He said as he started to walk towards the smell of delicious delicacies that were coming from stands by the walls.

I about spoke up, though I was quickly lifted off of the ground by a large man. Before I could protest, I could hear a hearty laugh coming from the man, a rather familiar one at that.

"Ha ha! Glad to see you got away, kid!" The man known as Boar said with a wide grin on his face.

"Oh! Hey. Good to see you again." Torch said with a smile on her face.

"Didn't think you made it!" Boar said.

"Put me down," I said, causing the man to chuckle before setting back onto the ground beneath us. Once my feet touched the dirt, I quickly dusted myself off before patting away any excess dust that was on my flat cap.

"I thought you weren't going to participate in the Battle Royale." The girl asked me with a curious expression.

"That wasn't the plan. Though things seemed to take an unexpected turn." I explained to the duo.

"What the hell are you two doing?!" I heard a rough voice ask, causing the three of us to turn towards the source of the voice. The man had brown hair and a rather rough expression on his face.

He wasn't nearly as big as the man that stood next to me, though his presence was way more commanding when compared Boar. "Ah! Boss!" The man in question said, causing me to stare at him with a rather surprised expression.

"That's your boss?!" I asked him.

"Yeah, what were you expecting?" Torch asked me.

"I..." I said with the same perplexed expression I had on ever since I heard that the man in front of me was the boss of Torch and Boar. Though before I could say anything, the man leaned forward's with his eyes narrowed.

"Who's the kid?" He asked.

"This was that guy we were telling you about." The girl explained, causing the man to stare at me with one of his eyebrows raised.

"Don't look like much." He said as he placed one of his hands on his chin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked as I crossed my arms.

"Then again, I thought the same thing when I first saw Torch. So who am I to judge." He said before he nodded to himself. "The names Vern. I'm the leader of this little ragtag group here." The newly named Vern said.

"Right," I said before the man turned his head towards the duo he was traveling with. "You two, come with me. I'll explain the specifics of our plan once we get settled." Vern said as he started to walk towards the various tables that were set up for the combatants.

"Good luck in the competition, kid," Boar said as he started to follow the boss.

"Later." Torch said, leaving me to stand alone in the middle of the waiting area for the contestants. I decided that maybe I should see how the match was going, as I started to walk over towards the arena.

The girl that was fighting in the arena was down to her last opponent, as she had already taken care of the other three that were sent in the arena. The man roared as he rushed towards the girl with his fists clenched.

She merely dodged the attack that was being sent her way with relative ease before she rammed the palm of her hand into the man's stomach, causing a large shockwave to shoot throughout the area.

The girl merely walked past the man as he fell to the ground, causing the crowd to erupt with cheers for her victory. "The victor is contestant twenty-five! Mae from the City of North Witch!" The announcer yelled towards the crowd.

The girl known as Mae started to walk off of the stage with a prideful expression on her face. Though before I could continue to wait for my number to be called, I heard yet another familiar voice coming from food stands, only this one was much more aggressive. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" I heard Garth yell, causing me to turn my head towards the commotion.

A crowd was starting to form around a single food stand, the man in question holding one of the staff members up by their color. "I didn't think I needed to repeat myself though maybe saying it a second time will get it through your thick skull." The man said as he pointed towards the sign hanging on the top of the stand.

"We have the right to refuse service to anyone." He said as he read the sign in question. "So we are legally able to refuse service to your little friend right there." The man said as he pointed at Pin, which upon further inspection was some sort of Mole Faunus.

I started to make my way through the crowd in order to meet with the small man that was standing behind Garth. "Hey, Pin," I whispered, causing the man to turn his head towards me.

I wasn't able to see his expression as his eyes were covered by his goggles, though his tone was that of surprise. "Oh! Hey, kid! I didn't expect to see you again so soon." He whispered.

"Right, so what's going on?" I asked him.

"Oh, just the unfortunate usual thing that goes on around the world." He explained to me as Garth was just about ready to throw a punch at the man behind the counter. The man sighed to himself before he turned his head towards his partner. "Hold on, I gotta take care of this before it gets out of hand." Pin said as he walked over to the man.

"Why I oughta...!" He began, only for the Faunus to quickly place his hand on the back of his partner.

"Come on, Garth. He's not worth it. There are other places to eat." He said to his partner. The man growled to himself before he let go of the collar of the man before walking through the crowd.

Once the crowd started to clear up, I started to follow the duo in question. Pin turned towards me before he lightly tapped his partner Garth, causing him to turn towards me with a neutral expression on his face.

"Oh, hey. You're that kid from the earlier." Garth said. He was about to say something else, though the duo quickly cut themselves off for a few moments before expressions of shock dawned on their faces.

"..." The two wanted to say something, though the only thing that came out of their mouths were incoherent babbles. I was about to say something, though a voice from behind me quickly cut me off.

"Who are these two?" I heard Jacob ask, causing me to turn around to face him. The man in question was holding bags of food in his arms with a rather curious expression on his face.

"Oh, these are just two people I met earlier today," I said as I pointed my thumb at the two.

"That right?" He asked as he started to walk towards the two in question. "The names Jacob, pleasure to meet you." He said as he placed the bags down before holding out his hand to greet them.

"Pin. It's an honor to meet you." He said to the man who bore a rather prideful expression on his face.

"That right? I suppose it's only natural. Ever since we had our escapades published twelve years ago, our stories have become quite popular." Jacob said to the duo.

"..." Garth merely bore a rather overly cool expression on his face, trying to look unimpressed by the fact that the famous explorer from the stories of Jacob and Wilhelm was standing before them.

"I suppose it's pretty neat. Though how do we know the stories are true?" He asked, causing Jacob to raise one of his eyebrows at him before chuckling to himself.

"Well, I suppose I can tell you two the unabridged version of our stories. Which is even more exciting than the original mind you." He said, grabbing the attention of the duo in question.

The two quickly nodded their heads to accept the offer the man was giving them.

"Why don't you two sit down. There's a lot to cover after all." Jacob said as he started to walk towards one of the benches. I was about to follow the group in question, though the sound of my number being called quickly cut me off.

"Number twenty-five, forty-four, eight, sixteen and three, please make your way over to the arena." I heard someone say, causing my ears to perk up when I heard the woman call my respective number.

"Well, guess it's time," I said as I started to walk over towards the arena.

"Good luck out there, kid," Jacob said as he started to walk towards the tables where the other combatants were waiting.

Once I entered the arena, I could see four other individuals on their own respective sides. I only recognized one of them, that being Mae, the girl who won the last round. The other three were unfamiliar to me, though that could be because one of them was in some sort of cloak.

Suddenly, some man walked up to me with a rather serious expression on his face. "I'm gonna need to pat you down for weapons." He said to me, causing me to nod my head.

After each contestant had finished their respective inspection, the staff walked off of the arena, only leaving the five of us. "Mae from North Witch." The announcer said as Mae gave a bow to the audience.

"Aiden from The Upper-Class District." The man in question shot the crowd a confident smirk their way.

"Dean from Oxhorn." The man merely cracked his knuckles in preparation for the fight to come.

"Brandon from The Residential District." I merely stood there in relative silence. Though once the announcer began to speak the name of the man in the cloak, he quickly grabbed it and threw it to the side, causing me to freeze in place with a rather surprised expression on my face.

"Yatsuhashi of The Peak District." She said as the man known as Yatsuhashi stood there with a serious expression. "Are you ready?!" She asked, causing the four combatants to speak their approvals.

Everyone turned towards me with looks of expectation on their faces, as I was still rather stunned at this sudden revelation. "...Oh! Yeah, I'm ready." I said as I got into my combat position.

"Then begin!" The woman announced as the five of us charged towards one another. The two men who were known as Dean and Aiden charged towards Yatsuhashi while he merely stood there, waiting for them to strike.

The girl known as Mae charged towards me with surprising speeds, though I was just narrowly able to avoid one of her punches that she threw at me. She rapidly started to throw various punches and kicks my way, though the training I had undergone with Mary was starting to pay off, as I was able to just narrowly dodge each of her attempted strikes.

I ducked under another strike of hers before beginning my counter attack. I continued to throw various jabs at her, though she was easily able to dodge each one narrowly.

After a few moments, I eventually gained the upper hand as I had landed a solid blow across the brim her jaw.

However, she was able to place her hands on the ground before she wrapped her legs around my arm.

With no time to react, she used the momentum she had to throw me across the arena, causing my hat to go flying off my head.

Luckily for me, I was able to quickly get back on my feet while wiping away the dirt that was on my coat.

"Hyah!" She roared as she mercilessly launched another lock at me while I was down on the ground. I raised up my arms to block the blow, though it proved to be rather futile as the force of the blow was rather strong, forcing me another few paces back.

However, I was just barely able to stand on my feet.

The girl smirked as she saw her opponent struggling to keep up, and prepared another strike. However, this was part of a strategy that I had been forming throughout the fight.

I needed her to lower her guard so that I could land a solid blow on her with the use of Shade.

I wasn't certain how a person would take being struck by the ghost, though right now the only thing that I need to worry about is getting to the town of York.

With one call of the name of the Spirit from within my mind, the ghost appeared right before the girl could land another blow on me. She merely kicked the arm of the Spirit, which did very little damage to its armor.

The girl was rather confused as to why she had suddenly stopped in mid-air, though before she could react, I let out a roar before slamming the fist of Shade into her stomach, causing all the air to be knocked out of her lungs.

She was sent flying backward's, just barely being able to stop herself from being sent out of the arena. She attempted to get up, though the force of the attack seemed to be more then either of us had expected, as she started to stumble in her step.

The girl growled under her breath as her vision started to blur, giving me an opportunity to gain the upper hand. I didn't have much time until the girl recovered from her daze, so I knew that I had to act quickly.

I clenched my fist once again and sent another punch her way, the faded figure of Shade forming around me, only the gauntlet being clear as that was where the focus of the attack was.

Though she quickly dodged the attack before slamming her palm into my stomach, causing a wave of pain to course throughout my body.

I could feel the air get knocked out of my lung as she once again began to go on the offensive. Once I regained my footing I just narrowly managed to dodge her attack. I continued to avoid the attacks she was sending while making sure to give my own counter-attack.

She eventually gained the upper hand as she slammed her palm into my chest once again, causing me to wince in pain. Though I was still able to stand on my own, causing the girl to rush towards me with a fire raging on in her eyes.

Though just as she was about to land one final kick to my figure, I quickly rolled to the side in order to dodge the attack. The sheer force of the attack she had used behind her attack was so great that she went spiraling through the air.

Once she crashed into the dirt, I took the opportunity to charge towards the girl who was currently in a daze. I didn't have much time before she would regain her composure.

I clenched my fist and drew it back like the hammer of a gun. I charged forwards, not knowing that Shade was slowly starting to form behind me. His figure was faded, though the spirit was indeed behind me mimicking my movements.

"Rah!" I roared right as I reached the girl, I slammed my foot into the ground, forcing myself to a sudden halt. Using the remaining momentum I had left, I launched my fist forward.

Once my fist made contact with her stomach, I heard a satisfying shatter as the girl's aura broke upon impact. The sheer impact of the strike left visible cracks in the ground beneath my feet.

With one last push, I sent the girl flying across the arena, a cloud of dust forming as she stumbled across the ground.

The dust was rather thick, and the entire audience went silent as they had just witnessed the rather tough looking girl endure such a powerful punch. Even the man known as Yatsuhashi, who had Dean in his grasp was rather surprised at the force of the attack.

As the dust settled, I could see the girl attempt to stand back up, though any remaining strength she had left quickly fled her body as she stumbled forward onto the ground. Once she fell to the dirt beneath her, the crowd went wild with cheers of amazement.

"Contestant number twenty-five has been eliminated!" The girl announced as I stood there breathing heavily. Just as that had been announced, Yatsuhashi finished up with his two opponents as he had thrown them to the side with relative ease.

"Contestants eight and sixteen have been eliminated! This only leaves combatants forty-four and three to battle for victory!" She said as the two of us stood there to face one another.

"You have taken damage from your last battle. It would be wise to forfeit before you sustain further injury." Yatsuhashi said.

I merely dusted myself off before I started to walk towards where my cap was. Once I had patted away any of the excess dirt on the cloth, I placed the hat back onto my head and stared at the man with an expression of determination on my face.

"You worry about your problems, and I'll worry about mine," I said to Yatsuhashi, causing the man to chuckle as the two of us got into our combat positions.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus, another chapter of our story comes to an end. Assigned with a mission that has proven to be rather challenging, our hero went to the Festival of Might and Will in hopes to seek the whereabouts to the Town of York.**_

 _ **Following the lead that was given to him by his new friends, he went to seek out Jacob, an individual who had a deal of his own.**_

 _ **In exchange for the reward for winning the Battle Royale, the man known as Jacob would tell him the whereabouts of the town he seeks.**_

 _ **Though while one battle has been completed, the true challenge is yet to come.**_

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 _ **A message to those who have read the original, please do not spoil the future plot lines for those who have not read the original work.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: The Gamble**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Ruby's Guide to The World of Remnant**_

 _ **Festival of Might and Will**_

 _ **The Vytal Festival isn't the only event to look forward to. Each Kingdom has its own respective festival to honor the last rulers of the Kingdoms.**_

 _ **Each Festival represents what that respective ruler used to lead their Kingdom into battle.**_

 _ **Our Ruler used Might and Will, the Queen of Vacuo used tenacity, whatever that means, and adaptability.**_

 _ **The King of Mantle used persistence and patience, which is weird considering those two are pretty opposite to one another.**_

 _ **Finally, the Queen of Mistral used honor and glory. Each year the Kingdoms celebrate the end of the war with this festival.**_

 _ **Though the true action lies in the Vytal Festival, as well as its tournament.**_

 _ **Stay Safe and Happy Hunting!**_


	6. The Gamble

_**The story so far... The boy with the Spirit bound to his soul had been training under the woman known as Mary Naturae for quite some time since the incident at the warehouse in the Lake District of Vale, and the woman in question had decided to present a challenge before him.**_

 _ **Find the Town of York, as well as deal with any potential threats that may dwell within the facility. However, finding the town has proven to be much more challenging then he had originally anticipated.**_

 _ **With only a week to complete the task that was given to him by the woman, he goes out into the Festival of Might and Will with the only lead he has acquired from some unlikely allies.**_

 _ **He was told to seek out a man known as Jacob, for he will know of a way to the town that the boy had been searching for. Fortunately, the man did indeed know where the town of York was, as well as a path that would lead our hero to the place he seeks.**_

 _ **However, he would not give up such information easily, as he intended to strike a bargain of his own. Now, our hero must triumph over the Battle Royale that was being held in the plaza of the Commercial District.**_

 _ **He had defeated one challenger that stood in his way of the information he sought, though the real battle has only just begun.**_

 _ **...**_

The match between the five combatants was already underway, though this particular battle had caught the attention of the population of Vale. There were three contestants that they had been keeping their eye's on, that being the winner of the previous match, the First Year Yatsuashi Daichi, as well as a strange boy who seemingly came out of nowhere.

The Huntsman in training was handling his opponents with relative ease, though the girl that had beaten four of the combatants from the last match was seemingly having much more trouble when facing off against this mysterious boy.

His appearance was of that of a mere street thug, though he was more cunning than the spectators originally thought, as well as had more physical strength then what anyone had originally expected.

The girl was rather experienced when compared to some of the combatants that were participating on this day, though just one blow from the boy was enough to bring her to the ground.

Even with the protection of her aura, recovering from the blow proved to be rather difficult. The girl had put up a rather great fight, though the boy had triumphed over her, leaving only two combatants in the stadium.

However, not everyone was watching the battle unfold, there were some who were currently preparing for their own respective battles or those who simply wished to enjoy the festivities that were scattered throughout the kingdom.

Some of those individuals were the unlikely friends that had been made by the boy from earlier this morning, as well as a retired warrior known as Jacob, who ran a tavern that wasn't too far from the festival grounds.

The man was currently telling the unabridged stories of the escapades that he and his late brother Willhelm had gone on over the years. "After we got the piece of treasure from the mysterious temple, we went back to our home base back here in Vale in order to commemorate it as a trophy for one of our very first discoveries." Jacob finished telling the tale of the beginning of the stories that would be told in books today.

"Hmm, I guess the original stories didn't go into such detail as you did. From what I've gathered, the unabridged version of the story was more exciting than the original." Pin said as he took a bite out of the sandwich that the man had gotten from before.

"Yeah, some of the details of our adventures were altered a bit," Jacob said to the duo with a proud expression on his face.

"So, that's how it really went down," Garth asked as he placed one of his hands on his chin. "I'll admit, it's a worthwhile accomplishment. Though I've heard some stories that were way more exciting than that." The man said to the retired warrior, causing the man to chuckle to himself.

"Believe me, that was only the tip of the iceberg, one of the stories that spawned the more exciting ones that would come over the years we traveled around the world," Jacob said to the duo.

"That right? Well then, let's see if the legends are as true as you say they were." The man said with his arms crossed.

"With pleasure," Jacob said as he started to think of another story to tell the duo. Once one came to mind, he started to rub his hands together in preparation to tell the story. "Now, let's continue." The man began as he started to tell the tale of one of the books that had been sold over the years.

However, just as he was about to go into some of the untold details that were excluded from the adaptation of their escapades, he spotted a rather familiar man at the corner of his eyes.

"What's with that expression?" Garth asked as he stared at the man's rather serious expression. However, he merely stared off into the distance in silence as the duo looked at the retired warrior with rather confused expressions.

"Never mind that." He replied as he glanced back at the man who was making his way into the crowd of people. "I'll be right back, I have somewhere else to be at the moment. There's something important that I need to attend to." Jacob said as he got up from his seat.

"You aren't going to watch the battles?" Pin asked the man with a rather confused expression under his goggles.

"Not at the moment. Though I'll be back soon enough." He said as he started to follow the man that had vanished into the crowd, leaving the two to process the events that had just transpired before them.

Once Jacob was certain that the duo would not pursue him any further, he sighed before he started to make his way into the direction of where he had originally seen the rather familiar looking man.

It was a rather time-consuming process, though the retired warriors eventually found the man he was looking for sitting at one of the bars that were scattered throughout the plaza with a mug in his hands.

He started to walk towards the familiar man, though he didn't seem to notice his presence as the crowd was so dense that trying to locate a single person would prove to be rather challenging.

Once the man was certain that nobody had been following him through the dense crowd, he let out a sigh of relief before he sat down next to the familiar man who was currently drinking a beverage he had ordered from the man behind the counter.

"I didn't think you would be seeking me out on your own volition. Here I thought you had given up on the little bargain that we made." The man with a rough voice said to Jacob as the man in question got comfortable in the seat directly next to him.

"I haven't given up on the deal, Roland," Jacob said to the newly named Roland as he placed some sort of coin onto the counter before pointing his finger at one of the drinks on the shelves.

The bartender nodded before he went to go and grab the drink that the retired warrior had pointed to. "As a matter of fact, I've got an offer that you won't want to refuse." He said, causing the man to stop mid-sip before placing the cup back onto the counter.

"That right? You must have a lot of confidence given your situation if you're willing to not only gamble on the odds that have been placed against you, but to actually raise the stakes that were already set." Roland said with a rather serious expression.

Jacob remained silent as he stared at the man in question, though after a few moments had passed with the only sounds being that of the constant chatter from the crowd behind them, the suspicious man finally spoke up.

"However, I'll listen to what you have to offer." He said before turning his head towards Jacob.

"All or nothing. Winner takes it all, while the other is left with nothing." He said, causing Roland to stare at him with a rather perplexed expression.

"Hmm, I have to say that this is rather unexpected. Though I'm not one to pass on odds such as this." He said with a slight smirk. "If you're willing to test the odds, then I'm more then willing to accommodate you," Roland said as he snapped his fingers, causing one of the other figures to rise from one of the seats of the bar.

The individual in question took out some sort of coin from one of their pouches before placing it onto the counter. Jacob raised one of his eyebrows before picking up the coin that was placed before him.

"This coin will symbolize our deal. If your friend is as good as you assume, then consider it yours. Though if it turns out the opposite is true, then I'm gonna have to ask you to return it." He said to the man as he placed the coin in his pocket. "You may want to reconsider the odds that have been presented before you," Roland said to Jacob.

"You worry about your side of the deal, and I'll worry about mine." The man in question said as the drink he had been waiting for was finally placed onto the counter in front of him.

The man grasped the cup in his hands before he got up from his seat. Once he had disappeared into the crowd, the person who had given the coin to the retired warrior walked up to Roland before whispering into his ear.

"So, what are we going to do?" They asked the man in question.

"Hmm." He hummed to himself as he placed his hand on his chin in order to think of a plan that would tip the odds of this sudden turn of events into a more favorable direction.

This was indeed a rather strange turn of events, one that could give them the break they had been looking for. He had heard that Jacob had liked to gamble against odds such as this, though even he hadn't thought of the possibility of something such as this.

Roland was hoping to take advantage of the situation, though as of right now things of changed drastically. The man would not have raised the stakes if he had not known that the odds were in his favor.

He needed to come up with a plan of sorts that would allow them to move the direction of this deal in a more favorable direction while making sure Jacob suspected nothing when it came to the integrity of the deal they had made.

It was then that the man came up with a rather devious plan, one that would allow them to reap the rewards of the bargain that had been struck with the retired warrior. He chuckled to himself before he called over to the group that had been gathered at the bar. "You two, come here. I have a plan." Roland said, causing the remaining two to perk their heads up before walking over to the leader of the small group they had formed.

Once he had told them the details of the plan he had devised, the three members of the group nodded before making their way through the crowd in order to initiate the plot that the man had formed in order to adapt to the sudden turn of events.

Though while he was confident that this plan of his would work in their favor, he was still rather skeptical of the strange boy the retired warrior had recruited. The man shook his head before pushing the thought back into his mind as he stood up from where he was sitting. He reached into one of his pockets for a coin before placing it onto the counter of the bar as he made his way through the crowd.

 _ **...**_

The sound of various chatter could be heard around the arena as the only two combatants left were Yatsuhashi and I. The various spectators in the crowd were making many different kinds bets on who would win in this exchange as the both of us had caused quite a stir ever since we entered the ring.

There were many individuals who wished to participate in the Battle Royale, though there was a rather strict rule on allowing Huntsmen and Huntresses to participate in the Battle Royale that prevented them from proving their capabilities to the people of Vale.

The Battle Royale was originally created by the Huntsmen after the war eighty years ago as a way to commemorate the end of the Great War, as well as give warriors from across the Kingdom to prove their might through combat.

However, Huntsmen themselves were unable to participate in the Battle Royale due to a decision made by the Council during the creation of the Vytal Festival. The Huntsmen Academies would train individuals to gain glory for their respective banner, while the festivals of the Kingdoms would be held in order for individuals to gain honor themselves.

That being said, there was a special exception to this rule that was made eighty years ago. First years that were training in the first semester of the program made to train these warriors would be allowed to participate in the Battle Royale.

Fortunately for the giant of a boy, he just so happened to fall into this category, as well as many other new students that had just made their way into the prestigious Academy. Many of the recently accepted warriors had made their way to the Battle Royale in hopes to participate one last time.

He didn't particularly expect much from the combatants that were participating in this year's challenge, though there were some individuals that had caught his eye. One of which is the boy that stood in front of him, the boy that seemingly came out of nowhere in order to claim glory.

The boy merely brushed the dust off of his hat before placing it back onto his head, staring at the man with a rather serious expression in his eyes. The man merely started to loosen his joints in preparation for the new challenger before him.

He had warned the boy of the trials to come, though he seemed to be adamant on emerging victorious in this series of events.

The two of us started to move around one another, waiting for the other to give either of us a potential opening to exploit. Once the giant of a boy moved his foot in my direction, I quickly charged towards him in order to go on the offensive.

However, he didn't seem to be attempting to counter the oncoming assault for whatever reason. Though once my fist came into contact with his chest, a wave of pain started to course throughout my arm.

I reeled back before grasping my arm, the pain pulsing throughout my hand. The Huntsman in training started to walk towards me as he cracked his knuckles, his soft eyes peering down at me from above.

The boy stood at several feet, towering over most of the people who were competing in the Battle Royale this year. Once the pain started to fade away, I quickly began to think of some sort of strategy in order to take this guy down.

He had me beat when it came to experience, as he had probably been training for years now. Though from what I've gathered from the information that the Headmaster told me a month ago, there weren't a whole lot of things in this world that could match the might of a Spirit.

Once I started to come up with some sort of plan, I quickly rushed towards Yatsuhashi with my fist clenched at my side. I was confident that he would be able to take a few hits from the force of the Spirit, as striking him with my actual strength didn't really seem to do much to him.

With the force of the being known as Shade behind me, I slammed my fist into the stomach of the boy. This seemed to do a considerable amount of damage as he had to put more pressure on his legs in order to prevent himself from falling onto the ground.

To be honest, I'm surprised that he was able to take the force behind that strike, as the girl from before would have been sent flying across the plaza from an attack like that.

The only thing I managed to do was make him slide back a few feet, as well allowing him to form a rather large cloud of dust in the area where he was standing. Once the dirt had settled, I could see that he was rather unscathed by the attack.

Yatsuhashi looked at me with a rather surprised expression for a few moments before he broke the silence that was forming around the arena. "I must say, you have a rather considerable amount of strength for someone such as yourself." He said.

"..." I merely stared at the boy in silence before getting into my combat position once again. This time, Yatsuhashi started to walk towards me as the aura around him started to glow around him brightly.

Before he could have the chance to go on the offensive, I quickly started to run towards him before jumping up into the air with fist pulled backward's. Though rather than taking on the attack, the boy raised his arms in order to block the oncoming attack.

Some sort of shield could be seen forming around the area where the strike had landed, though it wasn't like the usual shield that one's aura would form in order to protect you. This one had sort of a round shape to it, sort of like the more physical shield you would form in order to protect yourself against more physical threats.

Though before I could launch a counter attack, the boy slammed his other fist into my chest, causing a wave of green aura to follow the attack before stopping at the area where he had struck.

I could feel the wind getting knocked out of my lungs as I went flying across the arena, a cloud of dust forming around me as I landed on the ground. I slowly started to get up from off of the ground, clenching my chest as the pain started to course throughout my body.

"I must admit, I did not intend to use such force behind the release. Though it seems that the strength of your own attack was far greater then even I had anticipated." Yatsuhashi said as he stared at his hand with a rather surprised expression.

I contemplated his statement, as there weren't any rules that stated that we couldn't use the abilities that we've acquired in order to gain the upper hand in the battle. If there was, something would have been said quite some time ago.

His ability sounds rather similar to that of a certain blonde girl, though I dismissed the idea due to the fact that if he actually struck me with an equal amount of force to that of Shade, then I more likely then not wouldn't be getting back up.

It might have something to do with that shield that appeared for a brief second after I had struck him with another blow using the power of Shade. I narrowed my eyes before charging towards him in hopes to get more of grasp on the situation at hand.

I jumped up into the air and started to throw a few blows at the boy, though rather than using his ability in order to block the attack, he merely used his arms to counter the oncoming blows.

Once I landed on the ground, I wasted no time before throwing another punch at him with my right fist, though I got a rather similar response. I did my best to use what strength I had to damage him, though none of these attacks seemed to put a dent in him.

With a rather firm grasp on the situation, I started to formulate a plan in order to emerge victoriously. I continued to throw various blows at him until I jumped up in the air with the strength of the Spirit behind me.

Yatsuhashi narrowed his eyes before bringing his arm up once again, following the plan I had made within my mind. Just as my fist was about to land on his arm, I faked him out by using my left arm to strike him across the jawline, sending him flying back a few feet.

Once he landed on the ground, he quickly dusted himself off before staring at me with a rather serious expression. The only thing that was left to do was to initiate the final parts of this plan I had formulated.

I wasted no time as I ran towards him, though this time the boy was rushing towards me to go on the offensive. He had started to swing his fists at me, though due to the size difference between us I was able to dodge each blow with relative ease.

I pulled my fist back before slamming it on the chest of the boy, though just like last time it didn't do as much damage as I had originally hoped. Using this opportunity to go on the offensive, the giant threw his fist towards my chest, though I was able to block at the very last moment.

Once I had landed on the ground, I stared at the boy with a rather serious expression on my face. From what I had gathered when it came to the details of the ability he holds, he's able to absorb the energy of the physical force of the attacks that are sent his way.

Though he does have a limit to how much energy he can store, otherwise this fight we were having would have been over way before I could figure out the secret behind his ability.

He also needs to physically block the attack with his arms in order to absorb the energy, which is why the punch that I had just blocked didn't have as much of an impact when compared to the one he threw earlier.

With this new found information, I rushed towards him once again in order to go on the offensive. He narrowed his eyes at me before he threw a punch my way in order to stop me in my tracks.

Though once I had actually dodged the oncoming strike, I threw another punch at his chest with the power of the being behind the blow. Once it made contact with his chest, he was sent skidding across the arena.

Yatsuhashi was still able to remain on his feet, causing me to clench my fists in order to prepare for whatever the giant may have been planning. He closed his eyes as if he was contemplating something, though, after a few moments of silence, he nodded to himself before he started to charge towards me.

Once he got into my range of attack, I swung my fist at him with the strength of Shade behind the attack. Though just as it was about to make contact with his chest, he quickly brought his arm up in order to intercept it.

His fist started to glow with the same green light that had consumed it from the attack I had endured earlier. He brought his fist back before he threw yet another attack in my direction, causing me to raise one of my arms up to block the attack.

Just as he was about to strike me, Shade quickly manifested in order to block the attack that was being sent in my direction. The boy attempted to throw yet another attack my direction, though I was able to move out of the way of the strike.

This made it easier to dodge his attacks, as well as gave me more time to come up with a strategy to beat this strange ability. I reeled my fist back before using the power of the spirit in hopes to bring this guy down.

However, he merely dodged the attack before gripping onto my neck and slamming me down onto the ground, causing the stone of the arena to crack due to the pressure of the attack.

I gripped onto his arm in hopes to break free from his grip, though my efforts proved to be rather futile. I growled as I punched the air with my right fist, causing Shade to punch Yatsuhashi directly on the side of his torso.

The giant winced to himself as his grip around my neck started to loosen. Once I got up from the ground, I threw my right fist the warrior's side in order to gain the upper hand in this battle.

However, the man merely brought up one of his arms to block the attack before pushing it aside and throwing another one of his fists in my direction. I jumped backward's in order to dodge the attack, though once I landed on the ground, he slammed his arm across my chest.

My vision was starting to blur due to the damage I had taken throughout the course of the match, though I was still determined to win this competition.

Once I landed on the ground, I dawned a rather serious expression on my face as I charged towards him once again. Yatsuhashi got ready to begin another set of attack's, though as he started to throw his fists in my direction, I was able to dodge each attack he threw at me.

I threw my fist towards the giant, though he raised his arm up in order to block the attack. He continued to throw various attacks at me, though I pushed his each aside once again before slamming my fist into his chest once again.

He was about to throw another attack in my direction, one that I wouldn't be able to dodge due to the position I was in. Though just as it was about to make contact with me, it stopped dead in its tracks, leaving a small gust of wind to form around me.

A few seconds passed before the boy let out some sort of grunt as he fell down to the ground, leaving me the only one standing in the arena. The crowd cheered as I stared at the giant as he kneeled before me.

"The winner is competitor number forty-four! Brandon from the Residential District!" The woman said over the voices that were in the crowd. I stared at the giant for a few moments before he eventually broke the silence between us.

"I must admit, you a truly a formidable foe!" Yatsuhashi said with a smirk on his face.

"I can say the same for you. Your definitely the strongest opponent I've fought." I said with a neutral expression on my face. I noticed that the boy was having a rather difficult time getting up, causing me to offer my help by reaching my hand outwards.

"No, I can manage on my own." He said, causing him to take a deep breath as he got up from where he was kneeling. "Come, the other combatants are eager to prove themselves," Yatsuhashi said as he started to walk towards the exit of the arena, causing me to follow close behind him.

A few of the townsfolk wanted to speak with the two of us about the battle, though while the giant politely dismissed them, I simply ignored them as I pushed my way through the crowd.

I kept making my way through the crowd until I finally managed to push my way through the various spectators that were viewing the matches of the Battle Royale. I turned around to face my most recent opponent, though the only thing I was met with was the sight of various people from the crowd of the festival.

From the looks of it, we had gotten separated when all those people were asking about the match that had just occurred in the arena. I shrugged my shoulders before I started to wander around the festival grounds in hopes to find Jacob.

I kept walking throughout the plaza as my eyes scanned around the various crowds that were formed by the festivities, though I wasn't able to find the man I was looking for anywhere.

After a few moments of searching for the retired warrior, I eventually settled by the front door of some sort of wooden stand with my arms crossed and my back leaned against the wooden surface.

I growled to myself rubbing the temples of my eyes with my right hand. "Where did that guy even run off to?" I asked no one in particular as I stood up in order to continue my search for the man.

However, I was quickly cut off when someone who was in quite the hurry slammed into me, causing me to stumble a few feet while my hat flew off my head. I looked at the brown haired individual who was dusting himself off while holding some sort of brown satchel in his right hand, the bag in question having a gold marking on the center of it.

"You in a hurry?" I asked with a hint of frustration in my tone. While picking up my hat off the ground, I got the dust off with my right hand. After doing a quick inspection, I put it back on my head.

"That was close." He mumbled under his breath, heeding no attention to my question. I was about to continue my line of dialogue until I was suddenly interrupted by the voice of the man in question. "What do I do now?" The strange man asked himself before turning his head towards me.

"Excuse me!" He called out before making his way towards me with the bag in his hand. "Hold on to this!" The man said as he suddenly shoved the bag into my hands.

"Huh? What is this?" I asked myself as the contents of the bag in my hand, though before I could continue to question the man, he suddenly ran off towards one of the alleyways of the plaza.

"Hey! Hold on a second!" I yelled out, though he seemed to be too far ahead to hear my voice, leaving me with the rather strange bag in my right hand. "What was up with that guy?" I asked myself, still rather taken aback by the sudden series of events.

Though little did I know, there were two individuals searching for that very man that had just given me this satchel. They continued to look through the crowd with rather serious expressions on their faces.

A few moments passed before the one with grey hair finally spoke to the one with black hair. "Do you see him yet, Bruce?" He asked the newly named Bruce as his eyes started to dart through the crowd.

"Not yet. Lost sight of him from the looks of it." He responded, causing his partner in crime to swear under his breath.

"Damn! Where'd he disappear to?!" The man asked as he clenched his fist.

From what I had gathered, these two were searching for that one man that had given me this strange bag. Before they could turn their heads towards me, I quickly hid the satchel in one of my belt pouches, suspecting that this was the item they were looking for.

"Hey, you there!" Bruce asked as he made his way towards me.

"Something you need?" I asked as I crossed my arms before the partner of the man made his way to his side.

"Did you see a someone pass through here?" He asked me with a rather serious expression dawned on his face while his partner tapped his foot on the ground.

"Hmm, let's see," I said as he closed my eyes and hummed to myself, even though I already knew about the man they were talking about, I still wanted to know more about the situation that was presented before me.

Though my train of thought was cut off by the man's partner growing impatient. "Come on! We're in a hurry!" He yelled at me with a scowl on his face. "Quit wasting our time and just spit it out already!" The man yelled.

"Well, you guys didn't exactly give me a specific description of this guy, so it's not like I can give you a clear answer even if I wanted," I growled, not exactly happy at the fact that he was yelling directly into my face. Though before a brawl between us could break out, Bruce quickly placed his arm on the chest of his partner.

"Take it easy, Grant." He said to the newly named Grant before giving me a description of the man that had just passed through here recently. "He had some rough facial hair on him, looked kind of suspicious. Did you see him?" Bruce asked.

"...He went that way." I said as I pointed towards the direction where the suspicious man had run off to. I didn't want to get involved with this whole ordeal, as I had other things to worry about at this point in time.

From the looks of it, they don't suspect that the man had given me the unfamiliar satchel that he had on his person. I only pointed them in the direction of where he had run off to, though I didn't exactly give them the specific escape route that he took.

"Let's go!" Grant said to his partner in crime, causing him to nod his head as the duo made their way into the crowd. Once I was certain that they were gone, I took out the satchel that the strange man had given me.

I tossed it around for a few moments before I heard footsteps coming to my right. I turned towards the source of the noise to see my previous opponent walking towards me with the same soft expression he had on his face from before.

"Ah, there you are." He said as he towered above me.

"Something you need?" I asked, holding the strange bag in the palm of my hand as I stared up at him.

"I wished to speak with you about the fight that had just recently transpired. You have some rather strange abilities if I do say so myself." Yatsuhashi said to me as I continued to toss the bad that was given to me by the strange man.

"What do you want to know?" I asked him with a curious expression on my face.

"There are many questions for you about how you acquired such an ability, though perhaps we should talk in a place that is more suited for conversations such as this." The giant of a man offered as he started to walk through the crowd of people.

We eventually stopped at some sort of wooden stand at the corner of the plaza in order to converse with one another. Once we had gotten settled at one of the booths on the wooden stand, we began to converse amongst each other about the most recent battle.

"I see. That is most peculiar." He said as he pinched the brim of his chin with his right hand.

"Yeah, so why exactly did you want to enter the battle royale, to begin with? It's not like there would be anyone here that would pose a challenge to you." I asked the man, causing him to dawn a rather serious expression.

"I am simply here to meet up with an old friend here at the festival. There is something that required my attention." Yatsuhashi said as he crossed his arms. It was a rather vague answer, though I assumed that he had his own reasons for wanting to come to the festival, ones that didn't concern me.

"As for the battle royale, I simply wished to pass the time by combating some of the students from the academy." He explained.

I was about to further question him, though the man quickly silenced me with his right arm as he stared off into the distance of the crowd with a rather serious expression on his face. I attempted to search for what was causing the sudden caution, though the crowd was so vast that it was impossible to search for a single individual.

"Hmm, hold on. This is something that I must attend to." He said as he stood up from the booth in order to walk towards somewhere more private. Once I could see that he was rather preoccupied with whatever business that he needed to attend to, I grasped the bag that was in my pouch pocket and placed it onto the wooden surface.

I was rather curious as to what could be so valuable that those two thugs would go to very far lengths in order to steal it. So once I was certain that there was nobody of suspicion wandering around the area, I gripped the rope that was holding the bag together and pulled on it, allowing the contents of the satchel to fall onto the wooden table.

However, the items that were stored in the bag weren't exactly what I was suspecting. I was expecting some sort of currency that would be worth something of value in the market, though the only thing that fell out was some sort of map, as well as a few other items a traveler would use.

"What the hell?" I asked as I grasped the map in my hand.

There was a map of the forest area near the edge of the western gates of the kingdom, and on the sides of the piece of paper was some sort of scribbles that held some sort of information about what the strange man was looking for,

I narrowed my eyes in attempts to read the markings that were on the map, as the handwriting wasn't exactly very readable. Though after a few moments of trial and error, the message became clear.

 _ **"Fortune of Douglass."**_ Was what the scribbles said, and while I didn't really know who Douglass was, the promise of a fortune is what really caught my attention. The very word was very enticing to me, as the promise of the riches of whoever this may be was certainly appealing.

Though before I could continue to examine the map, I could see something, or rather someone, at the very corner of my eye. In the alley right next to me was the same man that gave me the satchel only moments earlier.

It was hard to hear his voice through all the constant chatter that was going on throughout the plaza, though I was able to make out what he was saying through some of the motions that he was making.

He told me that he wanted to speak with me about the map and compass that he had given to me, as well as those two thugs that were chasing after him. He looked rather rugged, though I couldn't see any signs of a struggle.

So at least he was able to escape from those two. I turned around towards the direction where the giant had recently walked off in before I motioned him to come to speak to me at the wooden stand I was sitting at.

The man was rather hesitant, though after he put on some sort of cap, as well as pushed up his collar so people wouldn't be able to see the back of his neck, he made his way towards the wooden stool that was next to me.

"Alright, so who are you? You didn't exactly give me one of the best introductions I've ever seen." I questioned him with a suspicious expression on my face as he sat beside me.

"Right. Though I didn't have a whole lot of time for introductions as you've probably seen." The man responded. "Though my name is Shawn, I didn't mean to have caused you trouble earlier." The newly named Shawn introduced.

To be honest, I still wasn't happy by his actions earlier, though I managed to push my grievances to the back of my mind in order to get some proper answers. "Never mind that. So care to explain why those thugs were chasing after you?" I requested, causing him to nod his head.

"Truth be told, I wasn't able to keep myself hidden for very long. I tried my best to make an escape after we met, though eventually Bruce and Grant managed to catch up with me." He explained.

"I was running away from them so they wouldn't steal the map that I had on my person at the time, though once they found out I didn't have it anymore they got pretty upset," Shawn told me. "They tried to interrogate me so I would tell them where I had hidden the two items, though I didn't want to cause any more trouble for anyone who wasn't involved, so I kept my mouth shut about giving it to you." He reassured me.

"Well, that's some good news at least," I said, causing him to nod his head. "Speaking of which, mind telling me what's so important about this map?" I asked him with my arms crossed.

"It's a treasure map, one that will lead to the Fortune of Douglass. That map is supposed to tell you when he buried it." He explained, causing me to stare at him with a rather confused expression.

"When? What exactly do you mean by that?" I asked him.

"You see, this map is over one hundred years old, so trying to search for the exact place where the treasure buried would be nearly impossible without some research. Luckily for me, I was able to find the exact area of where the treasure is buried." Shawn explained to me.

"Though I was certain that once I mapped out where the treasure was buried, people would surely attempt to take it for themselves. As you can see, such a thing almost managed to happen earlier." He said. "So in order to prevent it from being stolen, I had no choice but to hand it to someone." The treasure hunter said.

"I had seen you fight in the arena, so I knew that the map would be in safe hands. I also figured that you would be close by in order to keep yourself in the competition, all I had to do was ask around the plaza until I managed to find you." Shawn said.

"Surprisingly, it was rather easy, seeing as how people were talking about your most recent fight from before." He said, filling me with a small sense of pride that I had managed to impress the crowd. "So I have to thank you, as well as apologize for causing you trouble." The man said.

"...Don't worry about it. It couldn't be helped." I said to him with my same neutral expression on my face. "So, you really think Douglass buried his fortune here?" I asked him as I stared at the map.

"That's right. I've been conducting research for months now, and this is the place that I had managed to locate. It's said that the one who finds it will live a life of riches, which is why Bruce and Grant attempted to steal it." He explained.

"Speaking of which, I have a request to make," Shawn said, pausing to stare at him with a rather curious expression.

"Yeah?" I asked him with my arms crossed.

"Would it be to much trouble to ask you to come with me to uncover this treasure?" He requested of me, though the only response I gave him was that of suspicion.

"What? You want me to escort you to where this fortune is buried?" I asked him in order to clarify his statement.

"That's right. Obtaining this fortune will allow me to truly delve more into my research, though as you probably could guess, I'm not strong enough to make it very far on my lonesome. So I was hoping you would be willing to escort me to the treasure!" Shawn explained.

"No," I said bluntly, causing his grin to shift into an expression of surprise.

"...Would you at least take some time to consider the idea?" He asked me in a tone that fit the look he had.

"Look, I've got my own issues to deal with at the moment, I have a job of my own that I need to complete," I explained to him as I turned my head to face the man in question.

"A job?" He asked me as he crossed his arms.

"I made a deal with this old man, I help him with whatever issues he may have at the moment, and he tells me what I need to know," I said to him as I started to wrap up the map and compass into the bag Shawn had given me earlier.

"What do you need to know?" The man asked me.

"At the moment I need to know how to get to a town called York, as well as do some investigating in the area of said town though I'll cross that bridge when the time comes," I told him.

"Oh! I know where that place is!" He said, causing me to stop tying the rope around the bag. A few moments of silence passed before I turned towards the man with a rather serious expression.

"Perhaps I can tell you where this place is, that way you would be able to set out on your journey before nightfall! Though I'll only tell you if you agree to help me with this situation." Shawn said.

"...Alright, I'll be your escort." I said, though just as he was about to thank me, I quickly cut him off. "I'll also need you to tell me how to get there." I clarified, causing him to nod his head.

"You'll need to go through the east gate if you wish to make your way towards the town of York." He said as he started to explain how to get to the town in question. It was a shame that I wouldn't be able to keep my end of the deal with Jacob, though considering I now know where I need to go, as well as the route to get there then I don't really see a reason to keep participating in this Battle Royale.

There was no way I was going to pass up on a chance like this after all. "Alright, before we head out I need to make sure that I'm prepared for the trip. Though I don't really want to do anything that would draw attention to me." Shawn said as his head started to dart through the crowd.

"Bruce and Grant are still searching for my research after all. They might still be hanging around here." He explained. "Meet me at the entrance of the Commercial District as soon as you can." The man said, causing me to nod my head as he started to make his way back into the dark alleyway.

Though during this whole conversation, I failed to notice that Yatsuhashi was making his way through the crowd in order to meet up with me. "Apologies, there was something required my attention for a few moments," Yatsuhashi said, causing me to break out of my daze as I turned towards him.

"Hmm?" I hummed.

"Is something the matter? You seem rather off." He said to me.

"No, there's nothing wrong. Though I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut our conversation short. Something just came up." I said as I started to gather my things before standing up from the wooden seat.

"Are you certain?" The giant of a man asked me, though I merely nodded my head to his statement.

"Until next time. Take care of yourself." I said before making my way through the crowd, leaving Yatsuhashi to stand there with a rather confused and suspicious expression. Once I was certain that he would not pursue me any further, I made my way through the crowd to make way towards the entrance of the Commercial District.

 _ **...**_

Jacob rushed through the crowd, his eyes darting left and right frantically. It had been over half of an hour since he had last seen the boy he had made the deal with. From what he had heard, he had won his first match against two rather tough opponents, and for that he was grateful.

Though on the other hand, the second match involving the boy had to be passed over for a brand new one, as the boy that was called was now nowhere to be seen. When he heard the girl announce this, he felt a rather heavy weight on his shoulders.

Fortunately, it only meant that the boy would have to skip a match, meaning that he wasn't disqualified from the entirety of the competition. Though it still made a shiver go down the man's spine as he thought back to deal that he and Roland had made.

He was starting to curse himself for making such a wager, for digging himself into such a deep hole that no light could be seen from the top. He looked down at the small coin and gulped. He didn't have any other choice, for the sake of his own livelihood, he had to make that wager.

There was no other option, no other path for him to walk down. He needed to win this gamble if he wanted to have any hopes of attaining the success that he saw when allying himself with the boy with strange abilities.

Though to do that, he needed to first find the boy in question. At first, he didn't know what to think of the strange boy that had made his way into his tavern. He looked like an average street thug one would see within the more run-down parts of the city.

However, he seemed to have proven himself to be much more then what he originally saw him as. He fought against that one girl who emerged victorious in the previous match, as well as a Huntsman in Training.

While he wasn't there to watch the fight, he was still able to decipher the clear gap between the two when it came to experience. Though for what he lacked in terms of experience, he made up for with raw power.

The boy was clearly a skilled fighter or at least one with a vast amount of power behind him, and it just so happens that one of the biggest combat competitions in the Kingdom, not counting the Vytal Tournament of course. He believed that if he had entered the boy into the event, he could go to Roland and strike the wager of a lifetime.

Luckily for him, he knew something that the boy wished to know, so it was rather easy to offer the boy a proposition. A few victories in the arena and the boy gets what he wants. It was rather simple, at least, that's what he had thought at first.

He heard that the first match that the boy participated in was a hard - fought battle, with all sides taking severe damage in the process. It was at that moment where the man started to get concerned. It no longer felt like the foolproof plan he had originally thought he made, and only now did he realize that the shortcoming of his cunning strategy to get him out of debt.

It relied solely on the boy the continue to overpower combatants that were far more skilled then he was, and power would only get you so far in battles such as these. Though if the boy had lost, he would be in much more deep within his troubles then he had ever imagined, both financially and physically.

He had gambled on the boy being a skilled fighter, a tier above the rest. Though perhaps his greed blinded his eyes from seeing all sides of the situation before him. He had sought straight victory by the boy, seeing as he had power unlike any other.

Though the more he had thought of the situation at hand, the more he realized of the shortcomings to the plan he had come up. It was that sensation that caused Jacob to go searching for the boy in the first place.

The man broke out of the crowd and looked for the boy in the plaza, hoping to find him before another battle comes and goes. Though as soon as he had broken free from the dense group, he had managed to bump into a rather large man that he was not able to see due to the lack of vision he had before.

"Hmm?" He heard a rough person hum as he fell onto the ground. "Sorry about that, didn't see you there." He heard the man said as he extended a hand out in order to help him out.

"Right." Jacob groaned as he grasped the hand of the man he had just bumped into.

"Hey! Boar quit messing around! We've got work to do!" Another man with a more demanding presence stated, causing the man in front of him to turn his head towards the source of the voice.

"Right, boss." He said, causing Jacob to stare at the man walking towards him, as well as the young girl who was walking close behind the man stared at the man with her arms behind her back.

"As for you, you okay? You break anything?" The man asked Jacob, causing the retired warrior to dust himself off.

"Look, I don't have time to talk right now. I'm in a bit of a hurry." He said as he started to push his way through the trio.

"Whoa! Hold on there!" The leader of the group growled before grabbing the arm of Jacob, causing him to turn towards him with a rather angered expression.

"I don't like repeating myself!" He said to the leader of the group. The leader of the group was about to speak up, though the hand of one of the men from earlier, the man named Garth quickly stepped in to push away the hostile fighter.

"Back off!" He warned, though before the leader could continue to push back, Boar quickly held him back in order to prevent a fight from breaking out in the middle of the plaza.

Garth was about to do a similar action, though his partner, Pin, quickly stepped in front of him in order to prevent the man from causing trouble. "Calm down, Garth. We can't fight outside of the arena, remember?" He said.

"Easy there, boss. We don't want to get thrown out before we can even compete." The large man said to his leader.

With the words of their respective comrades with them, the two eventually calmed down from the heat of the moment. Once everything was settled, the leader quickly turned his attention towards the girl.

"So, Torch. Anyone of interest caught your eye yet?" He asked the girl named Torch. Garth was about to question Jacob about the confrontation, though the man had already begun to make his way through the plaza once again.

That was until he had overheard the conversation that the trio was having with one another. "Well, there's this one kid that's competing in the competition. Pretty durable one might pose a problem for the two of us." She said before pointing at herself and the leader. "Then there's that kid we ran into earlier, think his name was Brandon or something." Torch said, causing Jacob to stop dead in his tracks.

Before she could continue her conversation with the leader, the retired warrior quickly moved towards the girl with a serious expression on his face. "You know Brandon?" He asked her as she stared at him with an expression of surprise.

"Depends if we're talking about the same guy. Pretty short, has some really strange powers." Torch explained.

"Have you seen him anywhere?! I'm looking for him." Jacob asked with a sense of urgency in his voice, though Boar quickly spoke up before she could answer him.

"I saw him leaving the arena earlier. He ran into some suspicious looking folks though." He explained, causing every thought in the man's brain to come to a grinding halt. After a few moments of silence, he turned his attention towards the large man.

"When you say suspicious, what exactly do you mean by that?" Jacob asked him with a deadly serious expression on his face.

"Hmm, well there was this one grey haired man, pretty rough around the edges. His partner was the mean looking type, had black hair and sharp teeth." The large man said to the retired warrior. "They were chasing this one brown haired guy through the plaza, though he quickly stopped to hand that kid something before booking it again," Boar explained.

"..." He closed his eyes as he thought upon the information that was given to him. He wasn't entirely sure on this whole thing, though, with everything that had just happened, he was starting to suspect the possibility.

"Something wrong, Jacob?" Pin asked as he dawned a rather curious expression through his goggles.

"...Did you happen to see where he went afterward's?" Jacob asked Boar, ignoring the question that was given to him by the Mole Faunus.

"No, though I did see the kid walking off with that one giant that was in the arena." He said.

"Right, and to answer your question, Pin, I'm not sure. Though I think that the kid might be in a bit of a bind." The warrior said though the look of confusion did not leave his face.

"Can I ask the two of you for a favor?" He asked the duo, causing them to stare at the man with rather perplexed expressions.

"...Depends." Garth said as he regained his composure.

"I'm gonna need your help finding that one guy that fought the kid in the arena. He was the last one who saw him after all, and it would be good to have some extra hands on my person." Jacob said.

"Sounds like a plan," Garth said with a cheeky grin on his face.

"You can count on us for assistance." Pin said, though before the trio could begin their search for the giant of a man, Boar and Torch quickly spoke up before they could make their way through the crowd.

"Count us in to." Torch said, causing alarms to ring throughout the head of the leader of the group.

"Hold on you two! We can't just drop everything here!" He said as the two turned their heads towards their boss.

"Come on, boss. If this kid's in trouble, then we gotta help him. He did help us back when Torch and I were stowed away in that caravan." He said, causing the girl to dig her elbow into his sides as the trio behind them stared at them with a mixture of expressions, none of them being relatively good.

"Long story," Boar said to the group in question.

"Besides, this way we'll be even with him." Torch said to her boss as they turned towards the trio.

"Right, so I'm sure you've all seen this man we're talking about. Let's spread out to cover more ground, once you find him meet us back at the fountain." Jacob explained, causing everyone to nod as they went their separate ways, leaving the leader of the group behind.

"...Argh!" He yelled before he started to search for the man himself.

Jacob only had a small grasp of what the man looked like, though he was described to be a muscular giant, so it shouldn't be too difficult to locate him. The man made his way through the crowd, searching for the one to have last seen the kid.

He wandered around the crowd for a few moments before his eyes eventually settled on someone who fits that description. He was conversing with someone who was covered from head to toe with clothing, looking rather suspicious.

Though he didn't have the time to think about that for now, the only thing he needed to focus on was finding that kid. However, as Jacob started to walk towards the duo, the one covered with clothing noticed him coming before pointing towards him.

He spoke a few words to the man before walking off, causing the giant to stare at the former warrior that was walking towards him. "May I help you?" He asked with his arms crossed.

"Yeah, I heard that you were the last one to have seen the kid from the last battle," Jacob said as the man raised one of his eyebrows at him.

"Perhaps I have. Why do you wish to know?" He asked with a suspicious expression on his face.

"My name is Jacob. I'm looking for that kid I just mentioned, I have reason to believe that he might be in trouble." He said, causing the expression of the boy in front of him to shift towards a more serious one.

"What does this trouble entail?" The man asked him.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that you were the last one to have seen him, and I was hoping you could give me some more information." Jacob said, causing the man to hum to himself with his eyes closed.

A few moments of silence passed before he nodded his head and broke the silence. "I do not know of the full details, though I do remember seeing a suspicious man sneaking away as he made his way through the crowd." He said.

"Fearing that trouble would be afoot, I decided to investigate further," The man said as he began to explain what he had discovered during his investigation on the matter. Once he had finished telling the man what he had seen, it only confirmed the fears that were sewed into the man's mind.

"Are you certain they mentioned the Fortune of Douglass?" Jacob asked, causing the giant to nod his head to confirm his statement. "...Right, thank you for your time." He said as he started to walk away, though he was quickly stopped by the man in question.

"Something else you need?" He asked as he stared into the determined eyes of the boy.

"Allow me to aid you in this time of need." He said to the retired warrior. "As a Huntsman in Training, it is my duty to see that the people of this world are safe." The man said before he slammed his fist onto his chest.

"...What's your name?" Jacob asked.

"Yatsuhashi Daichi. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." The trainee said to the man.

"You got a weapon?" He asked him with his arms crossed, causing the man to nod to answer his question. "Alright, we need to gather the others first. We're gonna need all the help we can get it for the things to come." The man said as he and the giant started to make their way through the crowd.

 _ **...**_

After making my way back towards the house that I was staying in order to get the sword that was given to me by the spirit in case we ran into any trouble during the job, I made my way towards the Commercial District in order to wait for the man.

However, after waiting for about a half of an hour at the gates in question, I began to grow rather impatient while waiting for the strange individual to come towards the place he told me to go to.

Though the man in question did eventually arrive with some hefty looking gear on his back. I suppose it's better to be prepared for anything to come, so once everything was situated, the two of us began to make our way towards where the Fortune of Douglass was buried.

It wasn't a particularly long trip, as the place we were going was only just outside of the walls of the Kingdom of Vale. The forests were thick and the mountains had scaled fairly high, though we eventually managed to make our way towards the place where the treasure was buried.

We stood outside of some sort of dark cavern near the middle of the mountain in question while Shawn was scanning the area in case anyone had followed the two of us to the cave in question.

Luckily for the two of us, security was at an all-time high due to the festival, so we didn't really run into any trouble when it came to the creatures that roam these forests. "It looks like we've made it here without drawing any attention." The man said as he started to walk over towards me.

"Right," I said before staring back down the dark caverns ahead of us. "So I assume that the treasure is somewhere in there, correct?" I asked him as I raised one of my eyebrows in his direction, causing him to nod his head to answer my question.

"Let's not waste any time. We don't know of those who might be lurking in the shadows." The man said cautiously.

"Well, if we do run into any trouble then rest assured that we won't have to worry about anything if we stick close together. As long as we do that, then hopefully we won't run into any problems." I said to him in attempts to reassure the man.

"Right. Just follow me, I know the layout of these caves far better than anyone else." Shawn said before he started to make his way into the dark caverns.

"Lead the way," I told him as I followed close behind the man in question.

It was a rather dark place, the only light being the sunlight from the entrance of the tunnel, as well as the flashlight that the man had brought with him. I kept the blade of Shade by my side, wanting to be prepared in case something decided to ambush us from the darkness.

"Don't worry, we shouldn't run into any unsuspected issues in these caves." He said as we continued to make our way through the darkness. "Besides, the monsters of our world should be the least of our worries." The man stated rather vaguely.

I stared at him with a rather suspicious expression, though I continued to follow him none the less. After making our way through the caves for a few moments, we managed to find some sort of temple that was at the top of some sort of cliffside.

"We've made it pretty far," I commented as we started to make our way down the slope that would lead towards the inclines that would allow us to access the temple. "Aren't we at the place where the treasure is stored?" I asked him.

"Indeed, we're close now. It's just in that temple you up above you." He said to me.

"Alright, let's move then," I said, causing the man to nod before the two of us started to make our way up towards the ruins. Though as we continued to scale the caverns in order to make our way towards the Fortune of Douglass, I decided to ask some questions of my own.

"You sure know a lot about places like this," I said to him.

"That's right. I have done extensive research on places like this." He explained proudly. "Is there something that you wish to know about this place? I'd be more than willing to answer any questions you may have." Shawn said before turning his head towards me. "Though please do attempt to keep it brief, as we do not have time to dawdle." He said.

"Right, so would you mind telling me more about who exactly Douglass is?" I asked him.

"Well, Douglass was told to be the explorer who mapped out the continents that we now live on. He traveled all across the continent in order to make new discoveries." He said.

"Though right before he passed away, he revealed that there was a vault of untold riches that was stowed away somewhere in the continent. So for generations, explorers of many different kinds searched the continent in order to find the fortune that he discovered." The man explained.

"However, as time went on, some people started to question if the fortune existed in the first place. Years passed, and eventually, the truth was buried in history. Some wrote it off as the babbles of an old and senile man."

"The story of Douglass was eventually published, and it proved to be quite popular with the children." The man told me.

"I see. Though what makes you think that the fortune that Douglass told us about is deep in this mountain?" I asked him as I pulled him up one of the more steep slopes that would lead towards the temple on the cliffside.

"I researched many of the findings that were used in today's society. It took months to decipher, though I managed to determine that if the fortune truly did exist, then it would be somewhere deep within that temple." Shawn said before grasping my hand.

"Hmm, that right?" I asked with one of my eyebrows raised.

"We shouldn't be much further now." He said to me before passing by me to make his way towards the temple above us. I stared at the place with a rather serious expression on my face before I continued to follow him.

It was a rather long and difficult process, though we eventually managed to make our way into the temple. The man placed down his bag and started to take various different kinds of items out from the pouches.

While he was doing that, I started to walk across the stone floors, my steps making an audible thud the further into the temple I went. This was the place where the supposed fortune was, all that was left to do was to locate it and reap the rewards.

At least, that was the original plan until I heard a thud coming from above me. I quickly grasped the handle of my blade as I scanned the area around me in hopes to locate the source of the noise.

"...You know, I didn't really expect for our plan to run as smoothly as it did. Though then again, all we needed to get you here was to promise a fortune that doesn't exist." I heard a rather familiar voice.

Suddenly, the figures of both Bruce and Grant swooped down from above, landing right in front of me with their respective weapons in hand.

"Didn't think we'd be seeing you so soon," Bruce said.

"How the hell did you two tools get here? The only one who really knew anything about this place was Shawn, as well as how to get here." I said as I glared at them, though the sound of a gun cocking from behind me quickly threw me off.

"That's because we had planned this from the very moment we met you." I heard his voice say, causing me to turn my head towards him with a rather perplexed expression on my face.

"..."

"The Fortune of Douglass, those were just stories made for children. The fortune itself never did exist." Shawn said before he began to walk towards me with his gun pointed at me.

"You were tricked into coming here by us." He said though the term he used is what really caught my attention.

"What do you mean by us?"I asked.

"Here's the thing, your friend Jacob made a deal with our boss once you entered the competition. He made a wager, if you had managed to win a couple of the matches then our boss would have cleared the debt that your friend had." Bruce explained, causing me to clench my fists.

"Our boss was pretty skeptical about the whole thing, so he devised a plan. You wouldn't be able to fight if you weren't in the competition anymore." Grant said.

"That's where we come in. We devised this plan to lure you away from the competition in order to get the biggest score of our lives." Shawn explained. "Though we couldn't simply just rid you from the picture right then and there. There would have been an uproar!" He said.

"So we decided to put on this act to lure you to these caves."

"..." I merely remained there in silence as I glared at the man before me.

"You see, we were pretty excited when we laid our eyes on the location for the treasure. Unspeakable fortune as fas as the eye could see, so we heard. It could have been our big break!" He said.

"So, we came here to find out! Though as you can see, there's nothing here. It was just an empty temple." He said. "It was just the ramblings of an old senile man, nothing more," Shawn said.

"Though a few weeks later, your friend, Jacob, stumbled along with quite the wager." He said.

"...So I'm just gonna assume that the coordinates you gave me were also forged as well." I said with a glare on my face.

"Well, I had to grab your attention somehow," Shawn said as Bruce and Grant started to creep up from behind me. Though just as they were about to grab me, the faded figure of Shade quickly punched the two of them away.

Before the man who had led me here could begin to open fire, I rushed up to him and punched him right across the jaw. The two that Shade had recently struck managed to recover, causing them to begin their assault.

I quickly unsheathed the sword that was given to me from Shade in order to prepare for the oncoming battle. Bruce was wearing some sort of helmet while Grant had some sort of dagger by his side.

The one with the blade was the first one to strike, though I was able to block each attempted attack that was thrown my way. Though during this whole exchange, I noticed that Bruce was starting to charge forwards.

Seeing the plan that was before me, I quickly parried the attack that was being thrown me before pushing the man towards the thug charging towards me, causing him to take the full force of the attack.

I suddenly heard the gun of Shawn cock once again, causing me to spin my head around in order to react towards the oncoming attack. I started to charge towards the man in question, causing him to pull the trigger on his weapon.

Though before the bullet could reach any part of my body, Shade quickly reflected the attack. The man quickly holstered his gun and prepared to make a counter attack. I reeled my blade back and started to slash at the man, though he was able to dodge each attack that was sent his way.

I was eventually able to overwhelm the man with my series of strikes, though just as I was about to move on to the next phase of the fight, I could feel a piece of rock slam on my back, sending me flying towards the stone wall.

Shawn managed to get up from the ground before he started to charge towards me while I was still recovering from the sudden blow to my backside. His fist started to absorb this strange green light as he continued to move forward's.

My vision managed to return to me to roll out of the way of the attack, causing the man to dig his fist into the solid ground. I quickly got up in hopes to take the offensive, though Grant and Bruce quickly got on the offensive.

Combating the trio wasn't really difficult in terms of how skilled they were, the people I fought in the arena were easily stronger than these three combined. Though it was the number of opponents that made this fight difficult, as well as the teamwork that the trio had.

I still hadn't fully recovered from the battle from earlier, so fighting was becoming increasingly more challenging as time went on. Though right now I just needed to push those setbacks to the back of my head in order to take these guys out, or at least to subdue them long enough for me to make an escape.

We kept exchanging blows for a few moments before I was eventually able to strike at one of them with my blade. Bruce as about to call out for his partner, though he was suddenly silenced as I swung my blade at him, the faded figure of Shade appearing behind me.

Once he slammed onto the stone wall, his aura made an audible shattering sound, implicating that his defenses were down. I turned around to see Grant rushing towards me with his dagger by his side, though I managed to dodge the attack before slamming my free fist into his chest, throwing him across the temple to meet a similar fate of that of his friend.

Though I failed to notice that the man who had led me here was running towards me with his fist glowing with the same green light as before. I quickly turned around in order to counter the attack.

I started to dodge each attempted swing, looking for some sort of opening to exploit. Though before I could further analyze the situation, I could feel the fist of the man just barely miss my forehead, though the other one had managed to land, causing me to go stumbling back towards the entrance of the temple.

As I started to dust myself off from the most recent attack, Bruce and Grant were ready to begin the fight once again as the aura that they had was slowly being repaired from, it's broken state. They were tougher than I originally gave them credit for, though I was getting a grasp of how their strategy was working.

However, before I could come up with any form of counter strategy, I could feel a very large force hit me from behind, causing me to go flying across the temple. I struggled to get up, though I was able to slightly hunch forwards in order to see who had just attacked me.

It was a rather large man with brown hair and rough facial features at the entrance of the cave. The man snapped his fingers, causing four more individuals to appear from behind him.

I was completely outnumbered, the damage that I had taken from the Battle Royale had yet to subsided. The large man started to walk towards me with some sort of large weapon on his shoulders.

"You're quite the stubborn one." The man said once I dusted myself off to stare at him.

"..." I merely summoned every ounce of my will to my side in order to stand up with my blade at my side. I glared daggers at the giant of a man that stood before me, though it didn't seem to do much to intimidate him.

"Even when you are outnumbered, you still wish to resist? Very well, though prepare yourself." He said as the rest of the group started to move in to begin the next stage of the fight.

Though before the battle could begin, the sound of a rather booming voice could be heard from above us. "That's enough, Roland!" The voice of a rather familiar man said, causing everyone to pull out their weapons in preparation for this sudden surprise.

However, the man with the name of Roland merely looked up to see the figure of Jacob standing above us. Just as he was in sight, the sound of rapid footsteps could be heard from outside of the ruins.

Before either one of the thugs could react, the girl named Torch charged towards him and slammed her leg across his jaw. His partner was about to open fire on the girl, though the sound of the ground cracking beneath him quickly stopped him in his tracks.

All of a sudden, Pin shot up from the ground to deliver a devastating uppercut to the jaw of the thug.

"What in the world is going on?!" Shawn asked, though before his partners in crime could react, Boar quickly ran up to the duo and picked them up with his giant hands before slamming the both of them down onto the ground with great force.

The man was about to react, though Vern quickly charged towards him before digging his fist into the jaw of the man, sending him flying towards a stone pillar. Just before another one of the thugs could begin to open fire, Garth slammed his fist into his side.

"Rah!" I heard a deep voice shout, causing Roland to use his cannon to block the oncoming attack that was being delivered by the warrior himself, Yatsuhashi Daichi. The two struggled for a few moments before the warrior was able to push back the leader of the group.

Jacob jumped down from the pillar he was standing on, landing right in between the two of us with a rather serious expression on his face. The entirety of the battle had shifted completely, as we were now the ones who surrounded the group of thugs rather than the other way around.

"Are you alright, my friend?" Yatsuhashi asked me as he stood next to me in his green armor, as well as the giant blade that he used.

"...Yeah, I'm alright." I said to him before I started to dust myself off. "Took you guys long enough though," I commented.

Jacob started to walk towards the front of the group that we now surrounded with his fists clenched, though his right fist could be heard making an audible noise that sounded similar to that of a machine.

After a few moments of various clicking sound later, the sleeve of his right arm burst into strands of cloth, revealing a rather advanced prosthetic arm which glowed with white light.

"Damn! What do we do?!" Grant asked with a rather panicked expression on his face.

"Maybe it would be best to cut our losses while we still can!" Bruce suggested, though Roland merely activated the large cannon that was rested on his shoulders.

"Nobody move! The only thing that they managed to do was to even the odds, nothing more! The battle could still go in our favor!" He shouted to at the group of thugs that he led into battle.

"Now come on!" Roland roared, causing the rest of the group to ready their weapons to prepare for the battle.

"Alright everyone, let's go!" Jacob shouted to the group on our side. Thus the battle began, with each side going on the offensive in the hopes to turn the tables of the battle around.

Jacob charged towards the leader of the group with his arm revved up in order to initiate an attack. He roared as he slammed his metal fist into the gut of the man, causing him to go stumbling back a few feet.

The leader of the group growled before pointing his canon at the man, firing devastating shots at Jacob, though he was able to dodge each one of the attacks that had been sent his way.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group had been making rather short work of the thugs that had been brought by Roland. Torch was surprisingly fast for someone her size, while the thugs weren't even able to severe damage to the likes of Boar and Garth.

The opposing group wasn't really able to attack Pin, as he had specific weapons that catered to his Faunus Trait of being a mole. His weapons allowed him to dig underground at surprisingly speed, and his animal-like trait allowed him to sense those who were above the ground.

Vern was also making quick work of the thugs with his martial arts skills, as well as his ability which allows him to store up energy in his fists in order to suddenly attack his opponents at surprising speeds.

Yatsuhashi and I were also just taking care of the thugs that were before us while Jacob took care of Roland. He continued to punch the giant man with his metal arm while the man in question used his cannon to deal rather heavy blows to the explorer.

Once he had taken a blow from the retired warrior, he growled and started to fire various shots from his cannon towards him, though all the man had to do was use his metal hand to parry each attack.

He continued this assault as the leader of the group started to make his way towards the man. Once he was in his range, he swung his fist in the direction of Jacob, though he merely blocked the attack and shot himself up with one of the thrusters in his arm in order to slam his metal fist into the jaw of the man.

The two continued with this exchange of blows until Roland fired a rather devastating shot at the man, causing a cloud of dust to form around the duo. I stared at the cloud of dust with a rather surprised expression, though once I could see that Jacob was holding back Roland, I let out a sigh of relief before punching one of the things with the back of my hand with the force of Shade behind me.

Jacob pushed back Roland with a sudden burst from his arm before roaring as his metal arm shot out some sort of explosion from the center of the palm. The discharge echoed throughout the caves, causing small pebbles to fall from the ceiling as Roland landed at the front of the entrance.

Meanwhile, the rest of the thugs were staring at the lot of us with rather alarmed expressions. "...So strong!" Bruce said, backing towards the entrance to the temple slowly alongside the rest of his allies.

"...Run!" Roland yelled before running out into the caves, the rest of the group following close behind.

"Maybe that'll teach them to stop causing trouble next time," Vern said with a chuckle in his voice.

"Are you alright, kid?" Boar asked as he walked up to me.

"I am now. Though I doubt thing would have gone that way if you all hadn't shown up." I said as I stared at the group. "Though I gotta ask, how did you guys get here in the first place?" I asked.

"I started to look for you once you suddenly disappeared like that. I eventually ran into the people you see here, then I was able to track you down to this place." Jacob explained. "I thought it was pretty strange that somehow you were suddenly nowhere to be seen once I made the wager with Roland. So I gathered some information, as well as a team to follow you here." He said.

"Is that so?" I asked him.

"Don't get my words twisted though, I didn't follow you here because I was worried about you. I just thought you were suddenly walking out on the deal we made." The man said as he pointed his metal hand at me.

"Right," I said, though just like me, nobody really seemed to buy into the statement of the man.

"Though I am glad things didn't get too out of hand. Lord know what would have happened if we hadn't been there to turn the tides of the battle." Jacob said, causing the others to nod their heads in agreement.

"Guess this makes us even now, kid," Boar said to me with a grin.

"That's right." Torch said with a smirk, though at the corner of her eye she spotted some sort of bag that Roland had dropped on his way out of the temple. "What's that?" She asked as she pointed at the bag.

It was significantly larger then what was given to me by Shawn, and this one had a golden R as an emblem rather than an S. Jacob raised one of his eyebrows before he made his way towards the bag.

Though as soon as he picked it up, his eyes shot open with an expression of surprise. "Hold on, is this?" He began as he opened the bag to reveal a rather large amount of coins stored in the bag.

"Whoa! How does a thug like that have this kind of money?!" Torch asked.

"This is the money that I need to clear my debt, if not more!" Jacob said, grabbing the attention of the trio in question.

"How much more are we talking here?" Vern asked the man as the trio stared at the explorer with expressions of curiosity written on their figures.

"If I had to say, there has to be at least five hundred thousand or more in here!" He said, causing the eyes of the trio to bulge out of their sockets. Jacob was about to continue his statement, though then he noticed the large grin on the face of Vern.

"...Well, I suppose you do need a reward for helping us out." He said, causing the trio to dance with celebration.

"Alright!" Vern shouted.

"We can finally set up shop in this city!" Boar said with a hearty laugh.

"Finally, we're off the road for good!" Torch said cheerfully.

Though as the trio continued to celebrate, I turned towards Garth and Pin to see what sort of conversation they could be having. "So, where shall our next adventure take us next?" Pin asked his partner as he swept the dirt out of his goggles.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. I'll have to get back to you on that." He said, though as the two continued to converse with one another, an idea sprung into my head. I walked over towards Jacob and lightly tapped his shoulders, causing him to turn his head towards me.

"Something you need?" He asked.

"I have a little proposition for you," I stated before explaining to him the details of the deal in question.

"Hmm." Jacob hummed as he started to walk towards the duo. "Hey, can I talk to the two of you for a second?" He asked, causing them to stop mid-conversation in order to turn their attention towards the retired warrior.

"What is it?" Pin asked, placing his goggles onto his head.

"I want the two of you to work for me." He said which in turn caused both Pin and Garth to freeze.

"...Pardon?" He asked.

"You two want to be explorers, right? So you're gonna need someone who knows his way around the business. That way, you two can go on more exciting explorations." Jacob explained.

"Hmm." Pin hummed as he huddled together with his partner. After a few moments of brief whispering later, the two turned towards the man once again. "I suppose there is something you wish to gain out of this?" He questioned.

"Yeah, I get a cut of the profit you get from this business. Once you're able to walk on you're own, we can part ways." Jacob said.

The two looked at one another before nodding towards the man to accept his offer. "Alright, we start tomorrow. I've got a few locations I want the two of you to check out." Jacob said before turning his head to face me.

"So, what are you gonna do?" He asked.

"Well, I suppose I should start my search for the town of York," I said as I crossed my arms.

"Right, though you're gonna need to know how to get there first," Jacob said, causing me to do a quick double take.

"Hold on, run that by me again?" I requested.

"I should have a spare vehicle for you to use, shouldn't be too difficult to navigate." He said.

"Though I thought the deal was to win the competition?" I said.

"No, the deal was that you help me with something that I needed to deal with. The whole ordeal with Roland was that deal, so in the end, you did hold your end of the bargain." Jacob said.

"...I suppose you have a point there." I said, causing the man to nod.

"If I may." I heard Yatsuhashi say, causing the two of us to turn towards the giant of a man in question. "This town sounds rather important to you." He said.

"Well, I do have a job to go and investigate some suspicious activity that's been stirring up near the town. So I needed to find a way to get to the town first before I really do anything." I explained, the mention of trouble grabbing the interest of the man.

"Trouble? What sort of trouble?" He asked.

"That's what I'm going to go and find out," I answered.

"Allow me to aid you in this job then," Yatsuhashi said. "As a Huntsman, it is my duty to ensure that the people of this world are protected. Besides, we shall be able to cover more ground." He explained as I crossed my arms at him.

"...Alright, welcome to the team then." I said, holding out my hand to seal this temporary arrangement. After everyone had settled with their most recent development, we all made our way out of the caves in order to prepare for the things to come.

 _ **...**_

The sun shined over the Kingdom of Vale to welcome a new day, the Battle Royale only escalating in terms of excitement while the people enjoyed the festivities. Though with no real reason for either of us to continue on with the competition, Yatsuhashi and I made our way towards the northern exit of the Kingdom in order to make our way over to the Town of York.

Jacob and I were already busy loading cargo into the caravan by the time the giant of a man had arrived with the things he would need for the trip. Though during the wait, I decided to ask the man a question that had been on my mind ever since yesterday.

"Hey, Jacob?" I asked him while carrying some sort of box over my shoulders.

"Yeah, something you need?" The man asked.

"How did you lose your arm?" I asked, causing the man in question to stop dead in his tracks suddenly. Noticing the lack of footsteps that were behind me, I turned around to face the man.

However, the expression on his face was one that I wasn't really expecting. It was rather distant, an expression that I hadn't seen on his face throughout the brief time I had known him.

"..." He merely stood there in silence, causing me to bring him back into reality with my voice.

"Hey!" I called out, snapping back from his sudden daze.

"Hmm?" He hummed.

"You okay? You faded out there suddenly." I said before the man's expression shifted into that of more serious expression. Though it wasn't like the usual times I had seen him like this, this expression was different somehow.

"Listen, kid. Throughout the years that I've been alive, I've seen things that you couldn't possibly imagine. Experienced the unknown, discovered it, all with my brother, Wilhelm." He said.

"Alright," I said as I stared at him with an expression of confusion.

"Though there are some things that are better left unknown." He said. "We got a lead of this strange warrior, one that was dawned in some sort of black armor. It was said that this warrior has wandered the world we walk even before humanity was born." Jacob said.

"Naturally, Wilhelm and I wanted to find out if this little legend held some sort of truth to it. So we set out to find the walking piece of armor, and after months of searching later, we finally found it." He said as he clenched his metal hand.

"It?" I asked, tilting my head to the side in order to face him through the box that I was carrying.

"What we found, there was no way that any living creature could be capable of wielding such power. It had an insatiable desire for battle, it took my brother, Wilhelm, as well as my right arm." He said.

"How come this being wasn't mentioned in any of the books you published?" I asked him.

"This was after the last book about our adventures was publishes," Jacob said. "Here's the thing, the world we live in is a lot larger then anyone realizes. There are some things out there that seem straight out of one of the fairy tales that we tell the children of each generation." He said.

I stared at the man for a few moments in silence, not really sure how to take this new piece of information. Though I could see that this wasn't something the man was exactly keen on talking about, so I decided it would be best to push this subject to the back of my mind for now.

After a half of an hour, Yatsuhasi arrived at the northern gates, though what I wasn't expecting was for him to arrive with not only a large bag on his back but an extra person by his side.

The girl had brown hair that reached past her shoulders, as well as some sort of golden armor on her person. Though the most noticeable feature that she had were the two rabbit ears on her head.

"Glad to see you've arrived," Jacob said, continuing to load cargo into the back of the vehicle. I merely stared at the duo with a rather surprised expression on my face once I placed another box into the back.

"I wasn't aware you were bringing friends," I said as I walked towards him while dusting off my hands.

"Well, I would have brought more hands for us to use, though the rest of my teammates from back at the academy were unable to go, unfortunately," Yatsuhashi said before motioning towards Velvet.

"Allow me to formally introduce the two of you. Brandon, this is my partner, Velvet Scarlatina." The giant of a man said as the girl walked up to me with a cheerful smile on her face.

"Hello there! A pleasure to meet you!" She greeted as she held out her hand.

"...Right, pleasure." I said before gripping her soft hand and shaking it with my own. "Well, we're about ready to head on out. This job might take a few days more likely then not, so I hope the two of you are prepared." I said, causing the duo to nod.

Once we got everything situated, we were finally ready to make our way towards the Town of York. I started the engines of the vehicle and began to move down the road that would lead to the town.

Though as we started to leave the gates, I stared back at Jacob one last time to see him waving me off. Though for some reason, his words about this strange warrior stuck within my mind.

"My friend," Yatsuhashi said, causing me to snap back into reality.

"Hmm?" I hummed.

"Are you well? You seem off for some reason." He said to me.

"...Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking is all." I said as we made our way towards the Town of York.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus, another chapter of our story comes to a close. Now armed with the whereabouts of the Town of York, as well as a few useful allies by his side, our hero now makes his way towards the settlement.**_

 _ **He leaves some new found friends behind, one of which being a rather troubled man named Jacob. His words of this mysterious warrior left quite the impression on our hero, leaving him with many questions about the world he now calls home.**_

 _ **Though he can concern himself with those details when the time comes, for now, he must focus on the task at hand. He only has a few days to solve the troubles that plague the town.**_

 ** _However, he will soon come to find that this new chapter of his life will be far more complicated then even he could have ever imagined._**

 ** _Credits_**

 ** _Writer: Quebec_**

 ** _Editor: Smitten_**

 ** _For those of you who are wondering why there wasn't a chapter last week, there has been a change to the upload schedule of when these chapters are put out._**

 ** _Within a week or two, a chapter will be published._**

 ** _If the chapter does indeed take two weeks to be published, it will either be because it was much more detailed then even I originally thought it would be, or it will be because of situations that I cannot control._**

 ** _I hope you all understand as to why I am making these changes._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _Next chapter: Trouble in Town_**

 ** _..._**

 _ **Ruby's Guide to The World of Remnant**_

 _ **Explorers**_

 _ **The explorers are a pretty interest type of warrior that roam our world. From what I've heard from my sources, they are the reasons I know where everything is in Patch, so I have to thank one of them personally!**_

 _ **I get lost pretty easily. Though enough about that, they didn't just make the maps that showed the people here in the town how to get around, they're also the reason we know why the continents of the look the way they do.**_

 _ **They sure to live an exciting life, going to all those unknown places to discover who knows what! They aren't as cool as the Huntsmen and Huntresses, though they are a close second.**_

 _ **Stay Safe and Happy Hunting!**_


	7. Trouble in Town

_**The Story so Far... After his encounter with our hero, Jacob sought out a rather suspicious man in order to get himself out of a situation that he found himself in before he had met the boy.**_

 _ **However, little did he know that the man would prove to be rather devious when it came to the wager they had made. With the aid of some of his allies, he lured our hero away from the competition in order to shift the tables of this wager in a more favorable direction.**_

 _ **Though fortunately for the boy, the retired man caught onto the scheme that was being planned from behind his back and put a stop to it, with the help of some unlikely allies of course.**_

 _ **With the riches that he was owed by his side, our hero can finally make his way to the Town of York alongside some new but temporary companions. Nevertheless, the troubles that await our heroes in the settlement are far more serious then any of them could possibly imagine.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Trouble in Town**_

We were on the road for what seemed like hours, the sun shining over the caravan that we were driving in order to make our way towards the Town of York. I was settled at the very front of the vehicle in order to steer it in the right direction while the duo that had recently joined me were settled in the shade under the cloth.

On our way to the settlement in question, we managed to pass by some other caravans that were supposedly making their way towards the other capitals in order to trade the goods that they held in the back.

Caravans like that are supposedly quite important to the capitals of the Kingdom, as there were many different kinds of well-armed guards walking near the vehicle in question. I had the map that Jacob had given me in one hand, while the method of moving the cart on the other hand.

The map was far more detailed than any other chart I had seen, as this one marked down all of the various towns and villages that were native to the continent of Sanus, even those independent of the Kingdom's rule.

To put it bluntly, the continent that I found myself in was far larger then I had originally thought it was. Though as I flipped through the various maps that were in the notebook that Jacob had given me, I could hear the sound of footsteps coming from the back of the vehicle.

I turned around to see the brunette girl making her way towards the front seats of the cart with a smile on her face. "Sure is a long ride, isn't it?" She asked me as she stretched her arms out.

"Looks like it," I responded, causing her to shift her attention towards the book that I had in my hands.

"What's that?" Velvet asked before pointing one of her fingers at the maps that I was using in order to find the town I was looking for.

"This thing? It's just a set of locations that that old man you saw from before let me borrow for the time being." I explained to her as she looked at the pages with a rather curious expression on her face.

"Hmm, I didn't think that there would be so many settlements that existed outside of the rule of the Kingdom." Velvet said before taking the book out of my hands and into her own. "So didn't you say that we were going to a place called York?" The Huntress in Training asked me, causing me to nod my head.

The girl in question started to flip through the pages in order to find the entry about the town we were making our way towards. Eventually, she managed to stumble upon the section about York.

"Ah, here we are. I don't suppose you've read about this town before we headed out?" Velvet asked me.

"Well, learning about the history of the town wasn't exactly on my mind at the time so no," I told her. "Anything interesting we should know about before we get into any trouble?" I asked before turning my head to face her.

"Hmm." She hummed as she started to read the various entries about the town in question. "I have to say, this town has quite the history behind it. It's a wonder why it's not on the map." Velvet stated.

"That right?" I asked her.

"Indeed, why don't I tell you about it? It goes all the way back to the Great War!" She said with an enthusiastic expression on her face.

"Well, I suppose if it helps kill the time," I said to her.

"Alright." The girl said before clearing her throat in order to tell the tale that was written in the book in her hands.

"The Town of York was one of the few surrounding communities that resided within the territory of the Kingdom of Vale. It was a time of tension between all of the Kingdoms, though the war that would come to take the lives of many has yet to come." Velvet said.

"During this time, a very powerful creature that took the form of that of a dragon pillaged the land under the Kingdom of Vale's rule for all that it was worth. The inhabitants of the land cowered in fear of this ferocious beast." She said.

"Something that took the form of a dragon? What, like some sort of Grimm?" I asked her with a rather curious expression.

"Well, it doesn't say specifically what it was, though there are some myths of some animals in the land that can be quite devastating, as well as look similar to that of a Dragon." Velvet explained.

I was rather taken aback that such a creature could even be told in myths, though I suppose a land like this would have its fair share of strange looking animals.

She sat there in silence for a few moments before turning her head back to the pages of the book. "Though during all this, the Great King Arthur rose up from the land of hopelessness and despair in order to rise up against the foul beast." The girl told.

"Armed with his trusty blade, as well as a beast of his own. His Journey was hard, though, in the end, he struck down the beast that had been plaguing the region for so long, releasing the people from this time of terror."

"The people of the Kingdom celebrated and began to rebuild their society over the course of the next few years. Some places were left untouched, such as the ruins where the Great King had slain the beast."

"However, this era of peace throughout the land would not last once the armies of Mistral invaded the land in hopes to gain control over more territory. The King of Vale wished to avoid armed conflict, especially when the land was still recovering from the wounds it had taken during the time where the wretched beast had ran ramped."

"The King wished to come to some sort of agreement with the Kingdom, though there were some of those in his order of knights who wished to push out these invaders for trespassing upon their land."

"Once again, the land was divided into two, on one side there were those who wished to seek to live amongst the people, and on the other, there were those who wished to sound the drums of war. Though despite the cries from his subjects, the King remained vigilant on his decision, little did he know that some of his own knights were acting against the wishes of the King."

"A battle broke out between the two armies, leading to one of the first battles of the Great War. When some of his trusted knights had informed him of this betrayal, many of the citizens were outraged. They had called for their heads, they had called for blood to be spilled, though they were soon silenced by the words of Arthur himself."

"Rather than executing these traitors, he had banished them from the Kingdom. Though while this took a heavy blow on the Kingdom's defenses, the King was still ready for battle."

"Some Knights and Subjects would come to follow the banished members of the order. During the war, these exiled members of the order would come to face many trials, though they would soon build a community of their own, one that would prosper outside of the rule of the Kingdom."

"One that went by only one simple name, York." Velvet said as she finished reading the tale of the town we were headed to. "I have to say, the Town of York has quite the history behind it." She said before turning the pages back to where the maps originally were.

"Right," I said as I turned my head toward's the road in front of me.

"So why exactly do you need to go to the town, to begin with?" The girl asked me as she turned her head towards me.

"Well, I took a job from this woman down in the city, though it turns out that this whole ordeal turned out to be far larger then either of us could have imagined. So for now, she's training me in order to handle the job that I've accepted." I explained.

"From what I've been told, there's some trouble brewing in the Town of York, and she wants me to investigate it. Therefore, she considers this upcoming investigation of the town in question as an introductory mission," I told her, causing the girl to stare at me with an expression of confusion.

"Introductory training mission?" Velvet echoed the strange term. "What's that if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well, this is one of the many different methods of training that I've been undergoing for the past month. This mission is supposed to test everything I've learned up until now, as well as to teach me some new things." I explained.

"I see. So what are the details of this mission? After all, if we're going to be partners, for the time being, we might as well be on equal ground in terms of knowledge of the task at hand." Velvet said.

"Right, though I don't really know a whole lot about the mission if I'm going to be completely honest," I said before beginning to tell Velvet about the details of the mission, all while keeping the involvement of the Huntress who had given me the job a secret.

Once I had finished briefing the girl on the details of the mission, she sat there with her arms crossed and her eyes closed as she pondered on this new found information that she was given.

"I see. So who gave you this mission, to begin with?" Velvet asked, causing me to tighten my grip around the book that Mary had given me. I stared at the girl in a rather serious manner before answering her question.

"Sorry, though my client specifically requested to keep her identity a secret," I said as I watched her wilt in disappointment. I felt a little bad, as she probably wanted to meet the woman who was training me. Though after a few moments of silence, she recovered and put on a grin on his face.

"Well, that's a shame, but that's just how it is I suppose." She said. "So what will we do once we get to the town?" Velvet asked me, causing me to take out the book that Mary had given me before flipping to the page where she had written down the details of the mission.

The first step she wrote down was to seek out a man known as Deacon, as he would be able to point us in the right direction when it came to handling the troubles of the town in question.

"We have to meet up with someone once we get to the town. He should be able to help us complete the mission." I explained to the girl, causing her to nod her head in response to my explanation.

"This is rather exciting! This will be our very first mission as Huntsmen and Huntresses! It's a shame that Fox and Coco couldn't come along, though I suppose there's always next time!" Velvet said.

"Right," I said as I turned my attention towards the road ahead in order to keep us on the same track to the Town of York. We still had a ways to go before we arrived at the town, though it was nice to have some company along the way.

* * *

It was a long journey, though the three of us managed to arrive at the Town of York before the sun started to go down. The town was bustling with activity, immigrants from all across the world bolstering the population of the town.

Everywhere we looked, there was at least a crowd of people wandering or just standing around. My eyes were darting around the area in hopes to find some place to park the caravan that was temporarily given to me by Jacob, all while making sure I didn't disturb the peace that was flowing throughout the air of the town.

"This place sure is lively," I commented as we passed through a group of musicians singing a merry little tune at the side of the street. Due to the constant sound of chatter and music coursing throughout the air, the giant of a man awoke from his slumber at the back of the vehicle.

"I suppose we have finally arrived at our destination," Yatsuhashi said as he yawned and rubbed his eyes in order to wake himself up. "So, this is the fabled town that the explorer spoke of." The man said before making his way up to the front of the cart.

"It sure is larger than any other town that we learned about in our lectures. Though I suppose that is only natural given the history of the town." Velvet said, her eyes darting around the various structures that made up the town.

The loud roar of water spilling greeted us as we reached the main plaza of the town. A large crowd of people had gathered near the water to gaze at the statue that was placed in the center of it.

It was a statue of a group of Knights, with the one standing above all of them holding some sort of blade in the air. I grabbed the book that Jacob had given to me and began to flip through the pages that held the information about the Town of York.

From the looks of things, people were gathered near the fountain, though their heads were in the direction of one of the large buildings that rested beside the stone structure in question.

After a few moments of scouring through the contents of the book, I managed to find the section about the fountain that was in the center of the plaza. "The Founder's Fountain," I said, causing the duo to break their attention away from the body of clear blue water before then and turn it towards me.

"The town was founded by a group of the Kingdom's Knights during the events leading up to the Great War. The Founder's Fountain was named such since the people who made it based the statues on those rebels who first made the town." I explained, causing the two of them to stare at me with rather curious expressions.

The duo looked up at the statues again with this newly found knowledge intact while I started to read the list of names that were written down in the book in question. "There was Gabriel, the strongest warrior that was exiled from the Kingdom of Vale, as well as the most kind-hearted of his order." I pointed at the huge, strong - looking knight in the center.

"Legend's have it that Gabriel singlehandedly struck down the army of soldiers that were looking to take over the land they wished to build their new community on." I moved my hand over to the strange individual that stood by the man in question.

"Then there was Sebastion, the one who found this great plateau with his knowledge of the land when the group was lost in the frontier." Once I had finished reading about the Knight, I gestured towards a large armored man beneath Gabriel and Sebastian. "After those two came Theodore. When the group finally reached this great plateau, it was he who suggested they build the outpost for them to use, as well as other warriors in the future." I said before finally pointing to the man who stood above the trio.

"Finally, there was the man the town was named after. The Knight who led the group once they were banished from the kingdom, York." I said before looking up towards the statue of the man in question.

"He was at the forefront of every battle that the town faced during the time of war. He wanted to be a leader known by his actions, not by the words he would preach to his people." I said before closing the book and placing it back into the bag that was beside me.

"They all sound like incredible people." Velvet commented said as she stared up at the statues.

"So, what do we have to do now?" Yatsuhashi questioned, causing me to pull out the book that Mary had given me. I started to flip through the various pages until I finally arrived at the notes the Archeologist had taken down during her time in the town.

I continued to read the notes that Mary had written down until I eventually found a place known as the Treasury of the Underground. This was one of the last entries she had written before it continued on about another remote location.

Once I had finished reading the brief entry she had written down, I turned towards the duo. "There's some sort of shop written down in my bosses journal. Turns out she and the owner had to deal with some business that was starting to go around in the town." I said as I closed the book I had in my hand.

"What should we do?" The giant of a man asked just as I had handed him the wheel.

"Find a place to settle down. We might be here for a couple of days." I said to the duo before getting off of the wooden seats of the vehicle. "Let's just hope everything is quiet for the time being." The duo looked at one another with rather confused expressions, though they simply shrugged their shoulders before making their way down the street.

I stood in the middle of the street with my arms crossed, pondering on my next course of action. Right now I should do what I can to focus on the task at hand, that being dealing with whatever troubles this town may have.

Chatter could be heard from all across the town while I started to walk across the concrete below my feet, as well as the sound of the birds singing. I started to flip through the various entries written on the town in question.

The town was built on a great plateau; essentially it was a tall mountain with a wide, flat top to it. When the founders first decided to build their outpost, they decided to start far, far away from the sides of the plateau. As a result, the first part of the town was built in the Main Plaza. From there, construction of the town naturally splintered outward.

Dirt roads stretched out from the plaza, with buildings naturally cropping up from the ground beside them. Then, as more and more people moved into York, more roads and buildings had to be built in order to accommodate them. Now, with all its winding roads and tall buildings, York barely represents its humble beginnings as a small outpost for warriors.

Which begs the question, if the town was built on such a large plateau, then perhaps this title was less metaphorical of having treasures that people of the underworld would have uses for and more literal, that being the shop was within the giant mountain.

I started to flip through the pages until I eventually found an entry about a possible route that would lead me to the inside of the mountain. As time went on, the town became home for the average citizen rather than being a place for warriors to rest.

So, they renovated, the outside of the town was used as some sort of shroud in hopes to keep the peace on the surface of the town. Which means that the shop I'm looking for is more than likely in this underground district.

Though I doubt anyone can just walk on through this district, as this place was specifically made to house warriors that would come through the town. I closed the book and placed it back into one of the pouches on my belt before I started to walk down the concrete sidewalk in hopes to find some local information.

I eventually stopped my search at the local inn that the town had in hopes to find any clues that would lead my search for the underground district in the right direction. I opened the front doors and stepped inside, the sound of various forms of chatter filling the air upon my entry.

For the most part, the people inside of the small facility were either citizen of the town or caravan guards and merchants. Though there were a few tough-looking fighters at the bar at the end of the room.

I looked around for the room for a few moments before making my way over towards the bar. The bartender noticed I was making my way towards one of the seats as he was pouring one of the patrons a glass of alcohol.

"Can I help you, traveler?" He asked with a curious expression on his face.

"Yeah, I'm looking to access the underground district of this town," I said outright, causing the man to stare at me with a more serious look.

"What's a kid like you want with a district like that? How do you even know about that place, to begin with?" The bartender asked me. "The only people who actually know about it are people who've been fighting battles for a good amount of time." He said.

"A friend of mine requested that I seek someone who helped them in the past, one that just so happens to run a shop in that district," I explained. "Though how does one find out about these sorts of places, to begin with?" I asked.

"Well, there are a few ways you can learn about places like this, though the most likely way one would learn about them is from someone who's been using these underground districts for a while." The man said. "I would have thought you would have known about it, considering you want to do business with the people down there." He said.

"I was only briefed on who I need to see. Wasn't exactly given an in-depth explanation of these sorts of things." I said, making sure not to mention that the only real reason I know about this place is through Mary's journal.

I didn't want to cast suspicion on myself, as it might make it more difficult to get future information out places like this in the near future. The man stared at me for a few brief moments before grabbing a shot glass from under the counter, as well as some sort of drink.

"Well, not every town has one of these outposts. The ones that do usually get a decent amount of activity when it comes to the work that Huntsmen do." He said before sliding the newly filled shot glass to one of the customers.

"I thought not a lot of people knew about this town," I said to the man.

"No, only people who grew up under the Kingdon's rule don't know about this town. Though many of the surrounding communities who are also outside of the Council's decree know about this place. There is a good chunk of towns who can function independently from the Kingdom's rule." He explained.

"We're actually one of, if not the only town in this part of Sanus to actually open up an academy of our own, one that's outside of the decree of the Council."

"So, naturally, we needed a way to supply these warriors with the firepower needed to protect this here town." He said. "Though unfortunately, people didn't see eye to eye about the construction of the academy."

"How so?" I asked.

"Some of the townsfolk believe that endorsing a concept created by the late king would dishonor the one who fought for our independence, as well as those who were exiled from the Kingdom." The bartender explained.

"What do you think?" I asked, causing the man to place his hand on his chin in order to think upon my question.

"Hmm, well the extra protection does benefit my business greatly. It also encourages other outside communities to make visit the outpost, which in turn brings business to places like this." He said. "Though I tend to keep those thoughts to myself, as there are a good amount of folks here who don't exactly view Huntsmen and Huntresses in a positive light."

"Right," I said, causing the man to shake his head.

"Though enough of that." He said as he started to walk out from behind the counter. "Come on, I'll show you to the back room." The bartender said, causing me to get up in order to follow him towards the door leading to the room behind the bar.

Once he opened the wooden door with the keys he had in his pocket, the only thing I was greeted with was some sort of empty room. "Here, put this code into the console right there. It'll take you to the underground district." The man said as he handed me a slip of paper with a four-digit code before walking out of the room and locking the door behind me.

I stood there in silence for a few moments until eventually, I walked over to the console and did as the bartender instructed. As soon as I had finished entering the code, the room around me shook for a brief moment.

My head darted around the room until my eyes settled on some sort of screen at the top of the door leading into the room. From the looks of it, this room acted as some sort of elevator. I stood in the middle of the room for a few moments before the elevator came to a halt, causing the door to make an audible click to notify me that the way was open.

I gripped the doorknob and opened the passageway to be greeted by a wide variety of stands and facilities that had been constructed from within the mountain. Warriors of all kinds roamed the dirt interior of the mountain with their respective weapon in hand.

Many different kinds of stands wares could be seen, whether it be weaponry, ammunition or dust in crystallized form or powdered form. I placed the slip of paper into my pocket and started to roam the streets in order to continue my search for this treasury. '

I walked passed many differed points of interest, whether it be a small callosum for those who wished to test the new weaponry they had acquired in combat, or various structures and monuments telling of the many battles that were waged in this town.

A small river flowed below the wooden floorboards that made up a part of the outpost. Though after aimlessly wandering around the outpost, I managed to reach the shop that was written down in the journal that the Huntress had given me.

The place looked rather suspicious, though then again every store in this district looked suspicious one way or another. The shop was on the outskirts of the district, almost touching the rock interior of the mountain. There wasn't nearly as enough activity when compared to the parts of the outpost that sold weapons, though it was still rather busy.

"This looks like the place." I thought aloud before walking over towards the structure with my hands in my pocket. The name of the store was written on some sort of sign that was nailed onto the red wooden door that was in front of me.

I gripped onto the front door handle and pressed one of the buttons on it, allowing me to pull the door back in order to enter the building. The interior was rather clean, at least when compared to some of the other shops that were in this district.

There were various framed pictures that were hanged on the walls, with a red sofa right by the front window with a wooden table in front of it. There was some sort of teapot placed on the wooden surface, as well as some teacups that were scattered around the pot. There was also some sort of pot at the center of the table that held a variety of flowers in it.

"Hello? Anyone home?" I called out in hopes to get some sort of answer. After a few moments of silence, a short man poked his head from outside of the counter, wearing some sort of grey garments with yellow eyes and black hair with the sign of his age showing on the sides of his hair.

"Ah, welcome. I wasn't expecting visitors, I would have cleaned up the place if I had known you were coming by." The man said with a deep tired voice of that of an old man. "Now then, what treasures do you seek?" He asked with a curious expression.

"Well, I'm not one to usually turn down an opportunity of riches, though this time is a bit different. I'm here to see you on behalf of someone you may have done business with a few years back." I explained.

"Hmm, well I have been around for quite some time. Ever since the town was but a simple outpost for warriors, so I have met many travelers." He explained.

"Hold on, you fought in the war?" I asked with one of my eyebrows raised in response to his statement.

"I suppose you could say that." The man said. "Oh, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Solomon, it is a pleasure to meet you." The newly named Soloman introduced before walking out from behind the counter.

"Brandon," I said to the man in front of me. "I'm here on behalf of a friend of mine, goes by the name of Mary Nutarae," I explained, causing the man in question to stare at me with a rather serious expression.

"You know Maralyn?" Soloman asked, causing me to nod before handing her the journal that the woman in question gave to me. The man started to flip through the pages in order to confirm that this was indeed one of the Huntresses possessions. "I see, it's good that she sent you. There is trouble brewing from within the town." The man said, causing me to stare at him with a confused look.

"I don't follow," I said, causing the man to pinch his chin in order to contemplate on this turn of events.

"...I shall explain the situation to you, though not here. Let us go somewhere more fitting for a conversation such as this." The owner of the store said as he started to walk towards a door that was on the other side of the room.

The confusion was only amplified by his discretion, though I decided it would be best to give this man the benefit of the doubt in order to focus on the task at hand. We began to walk down some sort of hallway until we arrived at the door to the basement.

Soloman started to flip through the key chain he had in his pocket until he eventually found the one that would open the door in front of us. Once the way was clear, we made our way down to the lower parts of the mountain.

The room was rather small when compared to the waiting rooms and office from above, with the only items in the room being a wooden table and various shelves that held various books.

"Come, sit down." Soloman said, causing me to nod my head before walking over towards one of the wooden chairs "Are you aware of the legend behind King Arthur and the Ancient Beast?"

"Briefly," I said as I sat down on the hard surface of the seat.

"Good, though there was part of that story that was not told in the legends." He explained with a serious expression on his face. "The battle against the Ancient Beast raged on for what seemed like years, it did not come without its fair share of sacrifices."

"Many lives were lost in that battle, though with the help of the King's mighty companion, the monster was defeated and the battle was won," Soloman said. "At least, that was the story that was told all those years ago." The last part of that statement caused me to stare at him with a look of confusion.

"What do you mean?" I asked with my arms crossed.

"In truth, the King merely sealed away the monster that plagued the land from within the ruins from where it had originated. Not wishing to trouble his subjects with the still present threat that this beast posed, he told the tale that he had brought the monster down." He said. "The man hoped that this tall tale would bring an era of peace that would allow his subjects to prosper."

"The kingdom celebrated, and as you know, the ruins where the beast rests today was left untouched. However, there are those who wish to pillage the fortunes that lie deep within the mountain for their own gain." He said. "I have reason to believe that a group of individuals seek to open the mountain, and by extension, release the beast that slumbers within."

"..." I merely stared at the man with my eyes wide, still attempting to process the information that was presented before me.

"I understand that this is a lot to take in. Though please try to understand the gravity of this situation. If this beast is brought into this world once again then we could be looking at another catastrophe similar to the one that happened ninety years ago." Soloman said.

"Right. So what's the plan?" I asked the man that sat on the other side of the wooden table at the center of the room.

"First, we'll need to gather a team. Only a select number Huntsmen know the truth about what happened in that battle. Recruiting them would be the best course of action right now." He said.

"Are they in town at the moment?" I questioned.

"I do believe that one of them has recently passed through here." The owner of the shop said as he pinched his chin in order to ponder the possibility. "I shall discuss it with a few of my sources, perhaps they will be able to lead me in the right direction."

"You do that. I'll see if I can't gather a team of my own." I said as I started to get up from where I was sitting, though Soloman quickly stopped me before I could walk up the stairs leading to the shop.

"Hold on, we need to be careful of who we involve. The King himself wished to keep the truth behind the mountain a secret." Soloman warned. "The more who know the truth about that battle, the greater risk it will pose on the Kingdom."

"I understand, though the people I have in mind are trustworthy." I defended. "Let's just focus on getting the team together, then we can plan from there," I said as I started to walk towards the stairs.

"Well, if you do manage to locate these people, you'll need to know the required steps you will need to take in order to enter the lower district," Soloman said before taking out a slip of paper and writing down the names of the various Inn's located within the town, as well as the method of how to get into the back room and into the lower district.

"Thanks," I said as I took the slip of paper and placed it into my pocket. Once the two of us gathered what we needed, we made our way up the stairs and out of the shop in order to bring together the team needed for this mission.

 _ **...**_

The sun started to set over the plateau as I continued to wander around the town's various inn's in hopes to find the duo that came into town with me. There were quite the number of passageways that one could use to enter the underground district

However, after wandering around the town from place to place, stopping at various inns with the hopes of possible information, I managed to locate the place where the duo took shelter.

I could see the vehicle that we used to get into the town at the side of the facility. A strange bird could be seen on the edge of the cloth that's used to shield the transported goods from possible travelers.

With the location of the protectors in training revealed, I walked up to the front door and stepped inside. The interior of the place was similar to the first rest stop I had been to, though it did have some noticeable differences.

The interior was significantly larger when compared to the other taverns I've visited, as well as twice as busy. Music could be heard from the jukebox that was near the corner of the entrance.

Rather than being at the end of the inn, the bar was on the right of the entrance. I was able to find the giant of a man from within the tavern rather quickly due to his hulking size and stature.

He was speaking with someone that I didn't recognize, someone who I wasn't really able to identify either. I started to walk towards the duo in question, though they seemed to notice that I was heading for them.

The unidentified figure turned to Yatsuhashi one last time before taking off. "Was that someone you knew?" I asked the giant before sitting down in the chair next to him.

"Yes. It was an old friend that I met long before my time at the academy." The man said as he turned his head to face me. "It seems he had just finished some business that he was attending to and was passing through this town on his way back home." He explained.

"Right, so where's Velvet? I would have thought she'd be around here." I questioned.

"Ah, she went to visit the combat school that was near here. I believe she said she wanted to work on her phototrophy." The man said. "What of you? Have you met with this associate of your client?"

"Yeah, he's just gotta take care of a few things before we can head on out," I said.

"I see. So what pray tell are we dealing with if I might ask?" Yatsuhashi asked me with a serious expression.

"I'll tell you once Velvet gets back from the academy. The person I met told me to keep the details of this mission strictly confidential." I explained as I scanned the room to see if anyone was potentially eavesdropping. "After that, we should go to the room that the two of you got for the night, I'll explain what I can there."

"Are the people of this town in danger?" He whispered before leaning over towards me.

"Not yet. Let's try to keep it that way as well." I said, causing the man to nod his head in agreement with my statement.

"Indeed." The giant of a man responded.

"Though right now the two of you need to know what you're getting into, as well as the gravity of the situation," I said as I turned my head back towards the bar. The two of us waiting for a few moments for the brunette rabbit girl to return from the academy, though once the sun had set to make way for the moon, the girl came through the doors.

"Whew! What a day. Though it was worth it, these will be good for the collection." The girl mused to herself, her eyes glued to the screen of her camera. Though her attention was quickly broken off as she could hear the thundering footsteps of her partner approaching her.

"Hey Yatsu, sorry I was out for so long. Guess I got wrapped up in my own little world." She apologized before looking past the giant to face me. "Oh! You're back! Did you find the place you were looking for?"

"Yeah, we're currently in the planning stages right now. I'll tell you all about it once we get to someplace where we won't be heard by anyone." I said as I started to walk towards the stairs leading to the rooms that people could rent. The girl looked rather confused, though she merely decided that it would be best to follow the duo.

The room was enough to house a group of people, though I doubt we'd be staying here for long. I looked outside the door to see if we had been followed, though, from the looks of it, we were in the clear.

"So what's the situation?" Velvet asked with a curious expression. My only response was to sigh before locking the door that led to the hallway just outside. I walked over to the sofa that was sitting near the door and sat down.

"It's a long story," I said as I began to tell the duo what Soloman told me. I told them about the mountain, as well as the risks that would come if one would try to take the treasures stored within it for themselves.

"So even after all this time, the Ancient Beast is still alive?" Velvet questioned, still processing the sudden revelation that was presented before her.

"That's what I was told. I suppose it was harder to kill then even the King had expected." I said as my eyes trailed the giant of a man as he paced around the room with his hand on his chin.

"I suspected that the situation was dire, though I could not have imagined this," Yatsuhashi said with a serious expression on his face. "So, your associate believes that some individuals wish to horde the treasure for themselves?"

"That or sell some of the artifacts to the highest bidder," I said.

"So we need to stop these individuals. Prevent them from awakening a beast they have no knowledge of." Yatsuhashi said wish his fists clenched and his eyes narrowed. "Otherwise this town, as well as many others will go up in flames."

"Yeah, we'll need to be careful with this situation, even with this looming threat over our heads," I said. "The people can't know that this thing is still alive, let alone that it might burst from the mountain to terrorize the kingdom once again."

"Right, it would cause a panic. Which is the last thing we need right now, there are innocent people who live in this town." Velvet said with a determined look.

"It would not just cause panic throughout the town, rather it would cause a panic that would be felt all throughout the kingdom," Yatsuhashi said.

"So yeah, there's a lot at stake here. No matter what, we can't let this group open the mountain. We can't let that monster loose again." I said with my arms crossed, as well as a serious expression.

"Right. So what's the plan? How are we going to prevent the mountain from being opened?" Velvet questioned.

"Soloman said he would discuss the plan with us once he's gathered the rest of the Huntsmen and Huntresses together. So right now, let's head on over to the shop that he runs." I said as I got up from the red sofa while the duo stared at me with rather confused expressions.

"Right, so where exactly is this shop in the first place?" The brunette girl asked.

"Closer then you think." I mused to her as I started to walk out of the door that led to the hallway outside. Though little did we know that there were indeed some suspicious characters lurking about.

"Did you hear what they had to say?" A mysterious voice said from behind the door right next to the room that we were staying in. The wooden entrance creaked open to reveal two shady looking men peaking out from the small crack that was made.

"I heard it all." The large man said with a serious expression on his face. "I'm not sure what those people are up to, though they're clearly onto us."

"Yeah, this can't be good. Though at least we know to be more careful from here on out. I didn't really think that this mountain would hold such treasure and fortune." The smaller of the duo said.

"Though did you hear about what they said about the mountain? About how the Ancient Beast was never killed?" The large man said as he turned his head towards his partner.

"Don't think about it too hard, it'll hurt your head. Just leave the thinking to me, all you need to do is handle the heavy lifting. If things really do go south, we'll have a fail-safe." He said. "Besides, focus on the bigger picture, if we loot this place for all its worth we'll be able to live a life of luxury!"

"Still, what if they were right? What if the monster was never killed in the first place?" He asked.

"Well, let's say that the king lied to the world for nearly a century about the fate of that monster. All we have to do is take what we need and get out of there without drawing its attention. Once we do that, we lock the place back up before it can get out of its cage." The smaller of the duo said. "Now come on, we need to head out before those Huntsmen catch up with us!" He said before rushing into the room to pack their things.

The large man was still rather skeptical about the whole thing regarding the mountain, though he decided that he would give his partner the benefit of the doubt. He shook his head and started to gather the things he would need in order to prepare for the trip.

 _ **...**_

Once I had gathered the duo, I made my way over towards the shop that Soloman ran on his lonesome. The two protectors in training were rather surprised that such an outpost for warriors like them was right under their noses.

I could tell that the brunette girl was itching to take pictures of the various weapons that were being carried all throughout the district, though we didn't really have time for sightseeing with what was at stake here.

We did have time to gather some supplies that we might need for the trip, though it was brief due to the time limit we had. Once we had everything that we needed, we made our way towards the shop where we would meet the rest of the group.

"So this is the place?" Velvet asked as we stood in front of the structure in question.

"Yeah," I confirmed before I made my way towards the front door, the duo following close behind me. I gripped the handle of the door and pulled it, causing the entrance to open and for the bell on the top of the door to ring.

The sound of footsteps could be heard from across the room, and after a few moments of silence, the door leading to the hallway opened to reveal the owner of the shop himself.

"Are these the ones you were talking about?" Soloman asked me with a curious expression.

"That's right. Don't worry, you can trust them. I already explained the situation to them." I told him, causing him to stare at the duo with a suspicious expression on his face as if he were attempting to confirm my statement.

"My name is Yatsuhashi Daichi. Do not fret, Mr. Soloman. The secret of the mountain will not be disclosed. You have our word." Yatsuhashi said with a determined look.

"Right, you don't have to worry about us. We know the risks that will follow. Oh! My name is Velvet Scarletina, nice to meet you!" Velvet said with an equally determined stare. After a few moments of silence, the man nodded to himself before turning around to face the hallway once again.

"Come on. We'll discuss the plan with the others." He said as he walked down the hall in question. I turned my head towards the duo before we started to follow the man towards the lower parts of the house.

Once we arrived at the basement where I had heard about the situation, I could see three more people sitting down at the table. One of which was a female with a series of tattoos going down her arm.

"Allow me to introduce you to the team. This here is Agnes, she may be young though she makes up for it with the power she has behind her." Soloman said, causing Agnes to get up from her seat.

"Pleasure to meet you." She said politely.

The second one was some sort of man with a fairly average build, as well as some sort of shotgun by his side. He wore some sort of mask that hid his identity, though the most notable parts of his aesthetic were the two unfamiliar animals that he had with him.

One of which was some sort of large canine that took up a good chunk of the room and the other one was some sort of bird-like creature that rested on his shoulder. I was taken aback by the sudden discovery of these unfamiliar animals, though I pushed my surprise to the back of my mind.

"Here we have Floyd," Soloman said, though the man in question remained silent. Though he did give us a friendly wave with his right hand, along with a welcoming chirp from the bird on his shoulder. "He lost his ability to speak long ago." He said, causing the masked man to nod his head.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Velvet said before she turned her head towards the last person that was gathered.

However, the third figure that was in the room really caught us off guard. The man was a fairly old looking fellow with grey hair on his sides, as well as black hair on the top of his head.

The man had aged quite a bit, though the resemblance to the statue of one of the founders of this town was uncanny. "Lastly, we have one of the founders of this here town. Theodore, one of the most well-respected elders of the town." He said as we stared at the old man with expressions of shock and awe.

"Hello there! So you are the youngsters that my friend here spoke of. It's a pleasure to meet you." He greeted.

"The pleasure is ours! It's a real honor to meet someone like you!" Velvet said before walking up to the old man and shaking his hand lightly. "It's not every day that you meet with one of the King's guard!"

"Former guard of the king. I haven't had that title in quite some time, not since the Great War." Theodore said with a light chuckle.

"So, you were alive since the Great War. Wouldn't that make you over a hundred years old?" I questioned.

"Indeed, though I am doing quite well for my age, don't you think?" He asked with an amused smirk on his face. "Though let us not dwell on the past, for we have more pressing matters at hand." The founder said.

"Indeed, I take it that all of you are prepared for the road ahead?" Soloman asked, causing everyone in the room to nod their heads. "Very well, now let us discuss the plan of action."

"First objective: We need to ensure that the mountain remains sealed." He said before pulling out some sort of map that showed the general area around the town. "The mountain where the beast is sealed is around this area." The owner of the shop proceeded to circle his finger around the mountain in question. "It's located just east of the town."

"It's quite the large mountain, so traversing it will take some time. There are a few small settlements that have taken shelter on the mountain in question. We will most likely have to take up camp near or in one of these settlements." The man explained.

"A group of you will have to stay behind in order to defend the town in case things go wrong. The rest of us will focus on tracking down the perpetrators who wish to pillage the mountain for all it's worth."

"Yatsuhashi, you, Agnus and Theodore will protect the town in case anything goes wrong. If the beast is unleashed, then it will be our job to evaluate the town as quickly as we possibly can." Soloman said as he stared at the trio in question. "Theodore's influence over the town will make it easier to gather everyone."

"You can count on us," Yatsuhashi said with a serious expression.

"Good, the rest of us will focus on tracking down the ones who wish to open the mountain. Your companions will be key to tracking them down, Floyd." He said, causing the masked man to nod his head.

"Velvet, your enhanced sense of sight, smell and hearing will also aid us as well," Soloman said to the rabbit girl. "The darkness of the night will not be in our favor, so you will need to be our guide."

"Right." She said with her fists clenched with determination.

"Now then, do we all know our roles?" The owner of the shop asked, causing everyone to nod their heads in agreement. "Very well, we set out for the mountains at once." He said before picking up his bag from the ground.

Floyd merely tapped his leg to times, which in turn caused the canine-like beast to rise from the ground.

"You ready?" Velvet asked me with her own bag in tow.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I responded before we turned our heads towards the giant of a man.

"We'll be counting on you to lead everybody to safety if things go wrong." The girl said to her partner. Yatsuhashi looked down at her with a serious expression before nodding his head in response.

"I wish you safe travels." He said as he held out his hand.

The girl chuckled before grasping it with her own, though the man's hand was so large that it nearly enveloped the entirety of her wrist. Once the two had said their goodbyes, the giant turned towards me.

"Stay safe. The roads will be dangerous at the dead of night." He said.

"Right back at you," I said as I walked past him, lightly tapping his arm before I made my way up the stairs. Velvet stared back at her partner before she started to walk up towards the hallway.

Once we plotted our course, we set out of town and into the forests of Sanus, as well as a path that would lead us towards the mountain where the Ancient Beast of Old lies in slumber.

 ** _..._**

The moonlight shone over us as we continued to make our way through the forests outside of the Town of York. The two pets of Floyd were searching around the area in hopes to find some sort of trail that would lead us towards the culprits behind this issue.

Velvet, with her enhanced vision, had been helping us traverse the more dangerous parts of the forests and mountains, as well as searching for any potential threats herself.

I was guarding the owner of the shop in question as he continued to read the notes that he had on the mountains that held the Ancient Beast. I looked over the shoulders of the man to read the writings on the paper, though it only had information that I already had knowledge of.

The air was quiet, with the only noise filling the air being the sound of our feet crunching the leaves below our feet and the various crickets that had come out during the night time.

So, in order to break the silence, I decided to ask the owner of the shop some questions. "So, how exactly did you meet Floyd and his pets?" I asked, though before he could answer my question, the sound of the canine letting out some sort of growl cut us off.

I had thought that it was some sort of threat, though, upon further inspection, it seemed that the animal was growling at me. "Floyd's companions don't like it when they are referred to as pets," Soloman said.

"Good to know," I growled before placing my sword back into its sheath. "So what were you were saying until we were so rudely interrupted?" I asked as I narrowed my eyes at the hound, though it's only response was to let out some sort of huff before turning it's back away from me.

"He came into town one day with the intent of taking up a job here. There was some nasty business going on in the underground district, so we decided that we would put a stop to it." He said. "I've been informing him of potential job opportunities, as well as aiding him when it comes to information."

"Right, what about Agnus?" I asked him with one of my eyebrows raised.

"That is a long story, one that requires time to tell, and time is something we don't have." He said with a serious expression on his face. "We shall exchange stories once this is all over, for now, let us focus on the task at hand." I nodded my head before turning back towards the group.

We kept traversing through the forest for a good while before we eventually arrived at some sort of crossroad that branched on to two pathways. "Which way do we go now? The path branches in two." I said to the owner of the shop.

"Hmm." He hummed as he looked down at the map he had with him. Though while we were conversing amongst ourselves to decide on which road to go down, Velvet started to push her head upwards with her eyes closed.

She did this with the other pathway as well until she eventually opened her eyes and turned toward us. "The mountains are this way." She said before pointing her head over towards the path.

"How can you tell?" I questioned.

"The smell of the salt of the ocean is that way. Which means we would be heading in the wrong direction if we decided to go down that path. Though that smell starts to fade down this way." She said. "I can also hear the sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs from that way."

"Then we head down this pathway," Soloman said as he and Floyd started to walk down the path ahead while Velvet and I hung back in case there were any potential ambushes lurking in the shadows.

"Must be really convenient to have senses like that," I commented.

"In this profession? Yeah, I suppose it would be. Really the only way I could put my skills to use." She said with her usual grin.

"...Mind if I ask you something?" I requested her with a curious expression.

"You just did." Velvet mused, causing me to lightly whack her arm due to the smarmy response. "No, I don't mind at all."

"Why did you chose this life?" I asked.

"How do you mean?" She asked me with one of her eyebrows raised.

"Well, on paper, protecting people and gaining glory seems like a great job to have. Though when putting it into practice, you put your life on the line every day you go out into the field. You fight for people who don't even know your name, people you don't even know. So why would you want a job like this?" My question got some sort of chuckle out of Velvet.

"I will be the first to admit that this career doesn't exactly have a lot in terms of retirement. It's not the type of job you can take and expect to grow old with your family." She said.

"Most of the time, it ends early. It ends bloody." Velvet said. "When I told the family back at home that I was going to become a Huntress, there were a lot of mixed reactions." Velvet explained.

"The younger ones, Violet and Jack saw me as some sort of hero going on this journey to save the day." She said. "They're too young to understand the risks that are behind this job."

"My older siblings, Peter and Jane just told me to be careful. To keep in touch even when I was taking jobs." Velvet said. "My mom begged me not to do this job. She was always protective of the family after..." She trailed off for a few moments, causing me to stare at her with an expression of confusion.

"You okay?" I asked before placing my hand on her shoulder in order to shake her back to reality.

"Hmm? Oh yeah. Mom was always protective of the family after some pretty dark times that occurred in our lives." She said.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I questioned.

"No, not really. It's like I said, they were dark times for all of us. Besides, the past is in the past, best not to dwell on it." Velvet said. "Though that feeling of helplessness is what motivated me to become a Huntress in the first place."

"What about your pops? Did he have anything to say on the matter?" I asked her.

"He understood why I wanted to do this. He was the one who convinced my mom to go through with a profession like this." The rabbit girl said. "Though I could tell that he was still worried for me." She said as she turned her head towards me.

"What about you? You're a mercenary from what I've heard. Why did you choose this life?" Velvet questioned.

"To be honest, I didn't really have much of a choice. Money doesn't exactly grow on tree's, and we all have to make end's meet somehow." I said.

"How old are you?" She asked.

"Sixteen," I replied, causing her to stare at me with a rather surprised expression.

"Wow, you're a year younger than me?" Velvet asked to which I nodded my head to confirm. "I would have thought that you would be going to combat school." She said.

"Well, being a Huntsmen costs money. Which is something I don't really have at the moment." I said. "So, I took up this occupation to get back on my feet. Not really sure what I'll do after that." I said.

"Back on your feet? Where's your family, aren't you staying with them?" Velvet asked.

"No. They're gone. It's just me from here on out." I said with a serious look on my face.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." She said with a saddened expression on her face. "What happened if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's a long story. One that I'm not exactly keen on retelling." I said which caused the girl in question to nod her head.

"It's okay. I understand if you don't want to talk about it." The girl said as we continued to walk in relative silence. Though that said silence was broken once we heard the sound of the canine-like animal barking from the distance.

The two of us looked at one another briefly before we rushed towards the source of the noise. Once we arrived, we could see that Soloman and Floyd were crouched near some sort of camp right by the mountains.

The masked man in question was investigating the camp in hopes to search for any potential clues that would help us on our hunt. "Do you think it's the camp of the culprits?" Velvet asked the owner of the shop, causing him to nod his head.

Before we could continue to question the man, Floyd came back with some sort of ledger in his hand. Soloman took the book from the man's hand and started to read the contents that were written on the pages.

"What does it say?" I asked with a curious look on my face. The man merely continued to read the book until he eventually nodded his head before closing it.

"This was their camp. From the looks of it, a man named Zayne and Kurt were the ones planning to raid the mountain. The latest entry talks about how they believe a group had been onto their plan due to a conversation they overheard near one of the Inn's." He said as he stared at the two of us.

"Damn it, so people were eavesdropping," I swore before I started to walk through the camp. "Well, at least we know who we're after now, though judging by the state of this camp they took off a while ago," I said.

"Then we have no time to waste. Come, let's go!" Soloman said as he and Floyd started to run up the mountainside side. We had no time to rest, we needed to get to the doors that led to the ruins before the ones who were eavesdropping did.

We continued to scale up the mountain until the sun started to rise over the rocks as we continued to make our way up the barren mountain. The plain held nothing except for broken rock and burnt trees, which made it easy to traverse the giant rock.

However, the silence was rather unsettling. The only noise that could be heard was the sound of the wind howling, there were no birds singing songs, and the trees have all but withered away.

"What happened here?" Velvet asked as she stared upon the barren landscape.

"The Ancient Beast ravaged this land," Soloman said with a sad tone. "It wasn't always like this though. Once, these slopes were lined with various trees and wildlife. It was quite a remarkable sight." He said.

"However, once the monster was born, it began to destroy the beautiful land that the God of Light had created long ago. Most of what was lost has been recovered, though whatever was here in this land was reduced to ash." He said as we stared upon the wasteland.

Despite the sad story behind this land, we had to continue to move forward's. The climb was rather tiring, though we eventually managed to find our way towards the entrance to the mountain.

However, our fears had managed to come true as we gazed upon the open passageway that led to the inside of the ruins. "No," Soloman said lightly before he started to run over towards the stone doors.

"Damn it," I swore as I clenched my fist with a glare on my face. Though before we could plan our next course of action, a faint growl could be heard echoing from the caves, causing everyone to stop dead in their tracks.

"..." Velvet had a rather nervous expression due to the chills that went down her spine due to the sound of the monster growling. "So what do we do now?" She asked as she turned her head to face everyone.

"We do what we came here to do," I said before making my way towards the entrance to the ruins. "We find the idiots who opened the gates and we drag them out here," I said.

"Though the doors are opened! We have to warn the town!" Velvet said.

"From the looks of it, the monster hasn't noticed we're here yet. There still may be time to close the gates before it even notices we're here." I said as I gripped the handle of my sword.

"...Alright. Let's go." Velvet said. "Though what do we do if it wakes up?" She asked.

"Let's cross that bridge when we get there," I said before we all started to walk into the ruins that had been sealed for so long.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus, another chapter of our story comes to a close. With the truth about the battle against the Ancient Beast revealed, our heroes race to the mountains in hopes to prevent the monster from awakening from its slumber.**_

 _ **With the town guarded by his new found companions, our heroes go to prevent a battle that would surely result in the death of many. However, once they arrived to confront the thieves, they found the doors leading to the chambers of the ruins opened.**_

 _ **Now with time against them, the group must make haste if they wish to push past this crisis. However, the worst has yet to come, and our heroes will find that strength will not be the only thing tested in this chapter of our story.**_

 ** _Credits_**

 ** _Writer: Quebec_**

 ** _Editor: Smitten_**

 ** _Well now, that was unexpected. To explain to you all as briefly as I possibly can, the reason for the hiatus was due to a variety of things. Firstly, my health started to take a turn for the worse, though now it seems to be back to normal._**

 ** _Secondly, some personal matters with the family that I will not be discussing here rose up._**

 ** _Finally, I had writer's block for this specific storyline. Though now I finally settled on an idea that I'm confident in._**

 ** _So I've come to a decision on how I will handle my schedule. It will now go from one to two weeks to whenever the chapter is finished. It could be a week or a month, though I want to give you guys the best quality chapters I can give you._**

 ** _Anyways, that's my piece. Glad to be back, hopefully, I won't run into any more issues._**

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: The Ruins of The King**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Ruby's Guide to The World of Remnant**_

 _ **Night Howlers**_

 _ **Our world is pretty interesting, not just because of the monsters that wander around it, there are also some pretty interesting critters that wander around the world.**_

 _ **One of which are the Night Howlers. These are kind of like dogs, except their way more dangerous from what I've heard. Luckily for you, it's possible to tame some of these animals.**_

 _ **So they might be able to help you out the next time you're ambushed by a horde of monsters. After all, from what my Uncle Qrow and Dad told me, the Creatures of Grimm aren't the only thing in this world that you should fear.**_

 ** _Stay Safe and Happy Hunting!_**


	8. The Ruins of The King

_**The Story so Far... After an encounter with a retired explorer with a rather troubling situation before him, our hero from a distant world, alongside two unlikely companions set out for the Town of York, a place outside of the Kingdom's rule.**_

 _ **A place that was founded and built alongside an exiled knight of the King's order, as well as this fellow followers and comrades. Though while investigating the town, our hero encountered an old comrade of the Huntress he had aligned himself with.**_

 _ **During this meeting, he uncovers the truth behind the story of the Ancient Beast that the King had supposedly slain long ago. The monster was still alive, though it was sealed within the mountain where the battle took place.**_

 _ **With knowledge of individuals who wish to plunder the mountain for all it's worth, the group now set's out in hopes to stop the beast from being released upon the world once again.**_

 _ **However, they will soon find that such a task will be more challenging then they had originally anticipated.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **The Ruins of The King**_

Our footsteps echoed throughout the caves as we continued our search for these treasure hunters. The girl I had just met had been leading the charge through the caves due to her enhanced vision that allowed her to navigate it, even through the darkness.

The further down we went, the hotter the air started to get. Sweat started to form on my forehead due to the heat that was starting to form around the area, which most likely meant that the Ancient Beast was starting to wake up from it's near century-long slumber.

Though it was too late to get cold feet now, we've already made it this far through the mountain in question. I wiped the moisture that was rolling down my head before continuing to move towards the bottom of the caves.

However, the deeper through the caves we went, the more I started to wonder just what it was we were up against. After all, this wasn't just some regular old monster that we were dealing with, this was some a threat that pillaged the land long ago.

The late King Arthur was only able to seal this thing away, and he had the help of some sort of pet of his own. He was praised as one of the greatest warriors to ever walk the face of this world.

I shook my head and continued to follow the group as we made our way deeper into the mountains. I can't worry about those kinds of things at the moment, for now, I needed to focus on ensuring that this thing doesn't wake up in the first place.

"We've come pretty far," I commented once we reached some sort of open cavern from deep within the mountain. "We can't be too far from the bottom of the mountain now," I said while everyone was making their final preparations.

"You seem to know a lot about this situation, as well as information about this monster. What exactly makes this monster so dangerous, to begin with?" I asked Soloman.

"I do indeed know a lot about creatures such as these. I am the source of information for wandering travelers and warriors after all." He said. "The tale only tells the story of the battle that took place on the mountain, as well as the countless lives that were lost in order to satisfy the beast's hunger."

"However, this monster is known as a Lindworm. It's a very rare, near extinct creature that pillaged lands during the ancient times of our world's history. Many have either mistaken it for a Dragon told in children's stories, or the Serpents told in various religious texts told throughout the land." The man explained.

"The Lindworm eventually faded into legend, only being spoken of in myth's and fairy tales passed down throughout the generations. The stories say that these creatures would pillage the land for various kinds of treasures that had been scattered throughout the world." The owner of the shop told.

"Creatures such as this existed all throughout the ancient times of our world, long before the creation of the kingdoms we know today. However, the more humanity fought, the more capable they were when it came to striking these monsters down."

"Not many of these creatures exist in this day and age. I suspect that this Lindworm would be the last of it's kind." The man said with a serious expression on his face.

"So what if someone were to face one of these monsters in battle?" I questioned. "What would happen then?"

"Out of the question! This monster has survived over the centuries it has walked our world, it's strength must be unrivaled! Even the King himself, alongside his hulking pet, wasn't able to strike this beast down!" He said.

"Facing a beast such as that in battle would be the equivalent of throwing your own life away! Its strength reaches great heights, like all of the monsters that existed from within its time."

"So what do we do if this monster wakes up? How do we fight something that strong?" Velvet asked as she joined in on the conversation in question. Soloman started to rub the hair that was on his chin before letting out some sort of sigh.

"Well, for now, let's stick to the plan of action that we have at the moment. However, if we are not able to prevent the worst from happening, then let us hope that it's power has dwindled over its century-long slumber." He answered, causing the two of us to nod our heads in response to his statement.

Though before we could continue to prepare for the last stretch that was needed before we got to the bottom of the mountain, we could hear a faint growl coming from the distance of the caverns.

All of a sudden, the air started to feel stiff due to the sudden rise in tension that arose from the sound of the growl. The four of us stared down to the caverns with rather cautious expressions, while the animals that Floyd brought with him started to let lose growls of their own.

"Did you all hear that?" I asked before gripping the handle of my sword with my right hand. We started to move towards the entrance to the cavern slowly in order to get a better read on the situation.

However, just as we were about to continue our journey down the mountain, the growl we heard only moments ago started to become louder. "Do you hear it now?!" I asked everyone, causing them to nod their heads.

"Guess I wasn't imagining things after all," I said as I gripped the handle of the blade that the spirit gave me tightly. "It sounded like some sort of growl from the sound of it." I theorized.

"It must be the Lindworm! Quickly, we need to keep moving before it awakes!" Velvet said as she stormed off ahead at surprising speeds. The rest of us followed close behind her as we continued to make our way further down into the mountain.

Just as we had supposedly reached our destination, we were met with the structure of the ruins that rested within the mountain. The stone ground was flat, while the walls around us were smooth.

Our footsteps echoed across the floor of the ruins the more we continued to explore these ruins. The hallways were dark, though the aid of our female companion allowed us to navigate it rather easily.

"We're here." The owner of the shop said with a cold sweat starting to form on his forehead.

"So what do we do now that we've arrived?" Velvet asked in a rather quiet town in hopes to not awaken the monster that slumbered near us. The man started to run his hands through his beard before taking out the journal that we had found by the camp near the mountains.

"Hmm, from the looks of it, the one who was writing in this journal mentioned a partner of sorts. It might be best to split up in order to cover more ground." Soloman said once he placed the book back in his bag.

"Floyd and Velvet will take the path along the right, you two should take the one on the left." The man said, causing the masked man in question to nod his head before pointing one of his thumbs down the pathway they would be going down.

The bird that the man owned started to fly ahead while the canine started to move slowly down the dark hallway. "If you two manage to locate one or both of these hunters, apprehend them, though do it quietly."

"Good luck, mate." Velvet said before she started to follow the hunter in question, leaving Soloman and me to stand in the middle of the dark hallway in order to plan our next move.

"Well, no time to waste. Let's head on out." I said as I started to walk down the left pathway of the ruins deep within the mountain. The owner of the shop nodded his head before he started to follow the path we were taking.

"So, what exactly do we do once we find these tools?" I asked quietly.

"We will deal with them accordingly. Judging by the contents of the journal, they don't seem to be aware of the gravity of the situation." The man said with the same serious expression he had on his face ever since we had arrived at the mountain.

"How exactly are we going to deal with them so to say?" I questioned with one of my eyebrows raised. "I doubt we could tell the court about this whole ordeal in a reasonable way. I mean, people have believed this thing was dead for nearly a century now."

"This place is still considered a historical monument, one that has been remained untouched ever since the battle. Trespassing and stealing from such a place would warrant punishment." He answered.

"Can't really argue with that. Though their punishment won't be as severe as it should be." I said as we continued to walk down the stone pathway.

"Well, at the moment, it's not about punishing these trespassers. It's about keeping the people of this world safe from this creature." He responded before turning his head towards the light ahead.

After a few moments of echoing silence, we eventually arrived at some sort of staircase that led around the corner. However, once we turned to make our way down the stone steps, we were greeted by the largest amount of gold that I had ever seen.

There were mountains upon mountains of various kinds of treasures from within the large cavern. I marveled at the sight as I continued to walk down the stairs that would lead us towards the gold.

"Holy shit," I commented once the bottom of my shoe made contact with the hard surface below me, causing some of the coins to move against one another. I could feel the various pieces of gold start to fall down the small hill that was made from the large pile, which made traversing the area exceedingly more difficult.

Pieces of gold were piled up as far as the eyes could see, as well as various golden pottery, jewels, and other valuable items. I picked up one of the jewels with my hand to inspect it.

The gem was quite captivating, whether it be the shining beauty that it held or the appeal of the copious amounts of money that could be made if sold to the right person. Although before I could continue to inspect the priceless item that was in the palm of my hand, the jewel was quickly ripped out of my hand before being lightly placed onto the ground.

"We have no time to admire the treasure. We need to make sure that it's owner doesn't realize that there are trespassers lurking about." Soloman whispered before continuing to make his way through the piles of treasure.

"How are we supposed to find anyone in a place like this? There are too many places to hide." I whispered to the owner of the shop. We continued to search for these treasure hunters until we heard the sound of metal clashing against a hard surface coming from the west.

The two of us looked at one another for a few moments before we started to head towards the source of the ruckus. The walk was still rather difficult, though once we peered over the small hill of gold that was made by the beast in question, we could see two unfamiliar individuals shuffling gold into various bags.

I was about to confront the duo, though the man quickly grabbed onto my wrist in order to prevent me from pushing any further. He was crouched down under the hill of treasure with the top of his head peering out from the top of the pile.

Following suit, I crouched down next to him in order to get a read on the situation. The two of them seemingly stopped shoveling the treasure into the bags they had with them.

At the moment they were scanning the area with the eyes they had, though after a few moments of silence, the individual on the right turned his head towards his partner with a rather suspicious expression.

"Did you hear that?" The man asked the large man that stood next to him.

"I'm not sure. Maybe it was just our imagination." He responded to his partner with a shrug. "Anyways, let's keep going. We still have a few more bags left before we have to get out of here."

The man nodded before he continued to gather as much gold as he could possibly get. I turned my head towards the owner of the shop with my hand on the handle of the blade that was wrapped around my waist with a serious expression.

He shook his head in response before giving me some sort of hand gesture in order to keep me from rushing into the situation before us. In turn, I gave him a confused expression and hand gesture to voice my issues with this waiting game we were playing.

The only response I got from him was another hand gesture telling me to be patient. I frowned though I remained quiet until the opportunity to strike presented itself before the two of us.

We continued to watch the duo for a few more moments of relative silence until they finally managed to fill each bag they had brought with as much gold as they could possibly carry.

Once they had gathered their things, they started to head towards the staircase that would lead them towards the exit of the mountain ruins. Once they were out of sight, the owner of the shop nodded his head, causing me to jump from where I was crouched in order to pursue the thieves.

They must have heard the sound of the gold falling from the large hill, as I started to hear rapid footsteps coming from the halls above. The owner of the shop was following close behind me as we made our way up the steps and into the halls.

Luckily for us, the gold they were carrying was starting to slow them down due to the sheer weight of each bag they had on their person.

"Zayn! They're catching up to us!" One of the men said to the newly named Zayn. The man in question growled before taking out some sort of pistol from the holster he had on his waist.

"Keep going, Kurt! No matter what, do not leave without the money!" He roared before firing a few shots in our direction. Soloman merely narrowed his eyes before jumping off of the walls and using his aura as a shield to block the attacks.

However, considering I didn't exactly have a shield like that the only option for me was to dodge the oncoming pieces of lead that were coming my way. I quickly dove behind one of the stone pillars in order to dodge the bullet.

"Damn it! One of them is a Huntsmen I think! We need to get out of here!" Zayn said before he turned around in hopes to make another attempt at an escape. Though before he could, I swiped my hand across the air out of anger, causing Shade to suddenly appear beside the thief.

Before he could react to the sudden appearance of the spirit, the ghost quickly slammed the man's body against the wall, causing the ground to shake lightly as stones fell from the ceiling.

The unconscious man fell to the ground, causing all the contents of the bag to go crashing onto the ground. The sound echoed throughout the hallway, though the owner of the shop was too confused at the sudden appearance of some sort of ghost.

Once he regained his bearings, he stared at the body of the thief with his eyes filled with a sense of confusion. "What in the world was that?" He asked quietly, still rather taken aback by the whole ordeal.

"What was what?" I asked, choosing to play ignorant to what had just occurred. The headmaster of Beacon told me that I needed to keep the Spirit a secret for the time being, so I need to be more careful when it comes to who sees the silhouette of his figure.

"You didn't see that? There was some sort of ghost that stopped this man before he could take off with the gold." He said.

"Ghost?" I asked with my arms crossed and my right eyebrow raised.

"...It was probably just my imagination. Though how in the world did this one here get knocked out of consciousness?" The owner of the shop asked with a more serious look on his face.

"You got me." I lied to the man next to me.

"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter now. We should make sure this one doesn't try to scurry off while we search for his friend. You wouldn't happen to have a rope on your person?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, I just so happen to be carrying around rope with me. You know, as any normal person would." I said in a sarcastic tone.

"Hmm, perhaps you're friend might have some. I didn't see Floyd pack any while I was recruiting him." The man said as he ran his hand through his beard in order to think back on the encounter.

I sighed to myself before picking the man off the ground and throwing him over my shoulder. I could hear him groan a bit, though that was probably from the pain all things considered.

We continued to make our way down the pathway until we eventually managed to arrive at one of the exits to the ruins. There was some sort of staircase leading up to the right, while the treasure could be seen clearly from the left.

As it would so happen, the partner of the man was seen sitting at the front of the stairs with his hands behinds his head while Floyd held his shotgun up to face him. The canine was getting ready to pursue the man in case he attempted to escape while the bird kept watch on his shoulder.

Velvet, on the other hand, was marveling at the sight of the treasure that had been piled as far as the eye could see. The two of them turned their heads towards us, though before they could question us, they're expressions quickly turned into ones of surprise once they saw the leader of the duo on my shoulder.

"Oh! You found the other one! That's good, this one here was trying to escape with the treasure." Velvet said as she pointed her thumb in the direction of the last of the two men. "We heard gunshots and were about to come looking for you, though we were stopped by this one."

"It's fine. We handled it." I said before placing the man next to his partner. The two started to stir awake, causing everyone to face them with rather severe expressions plastered on their heads.

"Hmm, what's going on?" The larger of the two asked once he got his bearings situated, though his vision was still rather blurry due to the blow that Floyd had given him from earlier. "Zayn, you awake?" He asked.

"I am now." He groaned once his eye's fluttered open. "Did you get the money?" The man asked his partner.

"Not sure." The man said once his vision returned to him. Though he quickly sat up straight once he saw the shotgun being pointed directly at his head, causing Zayn to fall and hit his head onto the stone floor.

"Gah! What the hell, Kurt! Don't just-!" He began to curse the man out, though he silenced himself once he saw the dangerous looks that were directed towards them.

"You two are in a lot of trouble." The owner of the shop said to the two thieves that sat before us. The ears of the canine perked up suddenly, causing him to growl near the treasure.

However, we were too preoccupied with the confrontation to notice the sudden aggression that the hound was letting loose. "You two have a lot to explain to us." The man said with his eyes narrowed.

"Look, just hear us out! We don't want any trouble!" Kurt said in attempts to defuse the situation.

"Is that why you started shooting at us? Because you didn't want any trouble?" I asked with my arms crossed. Though before he could respond, he paused for a moment until he turned his head towards his partner.

"I thought you said we weren't going to kill anyone." He said.

"It was the spur of the moment! I wasn't trying to kill them, just get us some more time to escape." Zayn defended. "Look, the plan was to get as much gold as we can and get out of dodge, I didn't think we'd be dealing with warriors of this capacity!" He said.

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked with a curious expression.

"These aren't just mercenaries for hire! These are highly trained warriors we're dealing with, we just attracted the attention of a team of Huntsmen!" He said to him with a panicked expression.

"Huh?! No, that can't be right! We've been researching this place for a couple of months now, there's no way this mountain is under the Huntsman's radar!" Kurt countered as the two continued to go back and forth.

This went on for a few moments before the masked man pulled back the fore-end of the shotgun, causing the duo to stop talking in the middle of their argument. "Are you two finished bickering amongst yourselves?" Soloman asked, causing the duo to nod their heads rapidly.

"Well, you're right about one thing. This isn't exactly a huge gathering point for the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Vale. However, this is a very well regarded monument in Vale's history." He said.

"Right, these were the battlegrounds for when the King fought that monster ninety years ago," Kurt said. "So, what happens now that we've been caught by you guys?" He asked us.

"We are going to hand you over the authorities for stealing upon these grounds. Your punishment will be decided then." The owner of the shop said as he started to walk towards the stairs that led to the outside of the mountain.

Though before we could close this chapter of our lives for good, the sound of the hound growling towards the direction of the treasure quickly stopped us in our tracks. We turned to see what could have caused the partner of the masked man's agitation.

However, before we could begin to investigate, we could hear a loud growl echo throughout the large cavern from within the mountain. Suddenly, the air became tense and the skin on my back started to crawl.

It was almost as if we were being crushed by some sort of terrible sense of danger that was lurking from within the room. Everyone pulled out their respective weapons, with the exception of Velvet for obvious reasons.

"You two should get out of here. Make sure those two don't try to take advantage of the situation to escape." I said to the old man and the Huntress in Training before turning my head towards the masked man. "I'll need some back up in case things go south, you mind watching my back?" I asked him with a serious expression.

Floyd nodded his head before turning towards the bird that was resting on his shoulders. After a few moments of silence, the bird let out some sort of chirp before flying next to the prisoners.

"We'll see if we can't handle things from down here. You two need to head back to town in case something goes wrong." I said to the duo, causing them to nod their heads before turning towards the stairs, the two captives following in between the duo.

"How will we know if something goes wrong?" Velvet asked.

"Believe me, it'll be pretty obvious," I said, causing the girl to nod before running up the stairs once again. Once the two had gotten out of our field of view, the three of us looked at one another before heading over towards the treasure.

The gold beneath us made light sounds as we treaded carefully throughout the cavern from within the mountain. Though while we were investigating the area for the source of the noise we all heard, I accidentally kicked away some sort of small grail that went tumbling down the hill of gold.

In turn, this caused some of the gold to start falling down the hill, though once the treasure had been cleared through, I saw a rather bone-chilling sight in front of me. There before me was a single eyelid, one that was very large at that.

Floyd and the dog were prepared to attack, though I quickly defused the situation as it seemed that this beast has yet to wake up from its slumber. I frantically started to dart my head around the area in hopes to find some sort of a hiding spot.

Eventually, I settled on some sort of stone pillar that was a few feet away from where we were standing. I pointed towards the hiding spot while getting out of the Lindworm's field of vision.

The masked man and the animal followed suit, sitting next to me on this hill of gold we found ourselves on. I could feel my heart begin to pound rapidly and with great force, as well as my breath becoming heavy.

All of a sudden, the nostrils of the beast let out an audible puffing noise, causing smoke to go up into the air while gold started to go around in different directions. I had no interest in engaging in combat with this thing.

This wasn't just some thug on the street or one of the monsters that I had fought in the past month that I was here. This was a monster that had terrorized millions from within it's prime.

I started to move my way towards the opposite direction of the monster's head, though I was quickly stopped at the sight of the monster's body beginning to move slightly, causing the gold to fall.

My eyes started to trail around the source of the movement until it eventually stopped near the mouth of the beast. I took a deep breath once the gravity of the situation started to settle in my brain.

There was nowhere to run, the only way we were getting out of this troubling scenario was straight through it. Something that I wasn't really jumping to do in the first place.

I ran my hands down my face out of frustration for the situation, though the sound of the beast moving again quickly put my guard back up. Once again, we were in the monsters field of vision, though before we could adapt to the situation, the single eye of the Lindworm opened, causing the three of us to scurry into hiding.

We could hear the head of the monster start to rise from the golden depths of the hills, letting out a puff of smoke as it awoke from its slumber. Though just as we were about to make our escape, the monster did something that sent chills down our spines.

The Ancient Beast that was spoken only in legend began to speak. _**"Well now, it has been quite some time since I had a slumber of that length."**_ It said with its booming voice echoing throughout the caverns.

 _ **"What am I greeted to upon my awakening? A pair of thieves looking to steal what is mine."**_ The Lindworm said as it moved around its room. Even with the knowledge of us being found out, we were still determined to keep ourselves hidden.

It may know we're here, though it can't know where we are. _**"I can smell you. I can hear you breathing in the air. I can hear your heartbeat drumming from within your chest."**_

Okay, so it did know where we were. I inhaled sharply and suddenly jumped up from where I was sitting in hopes to escape from these caves. The beast bore its teeth before giving chase, which gave the masked man and his pet an opportunity to escape.

Due to the sheer size of the monster, as well as the tight space that it was in, chasing me proved to be a rather difficult task. Once I escaped his sight, I hid behind one of the pillars in hopes he would give up his pursuit.

 _ **"Hmm, there is something about you. Something you carry on you, something held in high regard, and yet I can sense something empty from within it."**_ He said once his head turned around to face me. _**"Ah, there you are, thief. Right in the corner of my eye, a sneaky little one you are, yes indeed."**_

"Hold on, there's been a misunderstanding. I'm not the thief here, I stopped a couple of these thugs from stealing your treasure." I defended. "We're taking them away for punishment, your treasure has been returned to you."

 _ **"Perhaps, after all, the piece you carry with you is not of my collection. Where did you get it?"**_ The Lindworm asked.

"It's a bit of a long story," I said.

 _ **"A fellow such as yourself must have hundreds of stories to tell. You may not have stolen from my domain, though I know your kind. You've taken what you pleased without a second thought, am I wrong?"**_ He asked.

"Well, I wouldn't describe in that way though to answer your question, I have had my fair share of theft. Though I've only taken from those who deserved it." I defended.

 _ **"Is that so? Do I deserve to be stolen from? After all, I have slaughtered thousands, maybe even millions of your kind before. The taste of man still lingers from within my mouth."**_ He said.

"I can't say, I don't really know you all that well. I've only heard stories." I said. "Though even if you did, I have more common sense than to consider stealing from the likes of you," I said.

 _ **"Then you are smarter then you look. Where is the King if I might ask, did he come to finish what he had started once and for all?"**_ The Lindworm asked.

"You've been asleep for nearly a century. He died pretty recently I think." I said as a drop of sweat fell off of my chin and onto the pile of gold beneath my feet.

 _ **"Is that so? That is quite unfortunate to hear. He had something from within him that most men did not have, something great. Something that would build a nation."**_ He said.

"Well, you aren't wrong when it comes to what he built," I said.

 _ **"Interesting. Though you, little bug, you are different from the ones I met long ago."**_ He said.

"Different how?" I asked.

 _ **"You are human, yet your scent is nothing like the ones I have met over the years. Who are you, and where do you hail from, if I may ask?"**_ The Lindworm asked.

I took a deep breath before exhaling and facing the monster before me. "Vegas," I said simply, causing the head of the beast to perk up suddenly. "I come from a place called Vegas."

 _ **"Vegas? I have never heard of such a place."**_ He said.

"Well, you have been gone for a long time," I said.

 _ **"Tell me about this Vegas you speak of."**_ The Lindworm commanded.

I let out an audible gulp before proceeding to tell him about the city I came from. The one home I did have before everything turned to absolute chaos for me. "It's a place of vice and sin, a place where one can go to entertain whatever unearthly desires they may have," I said.

 _ **"Interesting, tell me more."**_ He said.

"It's a place that never sleeps, there's always something going on from down the streets or by the water," I said to the monster.

 _ **"A city that never sleeps? Now that is a peculiar title. What about the ones who came with you, where do they hail from?"**_ He asked as he turned his head towards the exit of the mountain.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I came here alone," I said to the monster in hopes to keep his attention on me.

 _ **"Do not play coy with me, little bug. I can smell the other human that came with you, as well as his little canine. I can also smell quite the gathering of humans not too far from where we currently are."**_ He said.

"..." I started to swear under my breath, though I was quickly silenced by the monster in question.

 _ **"Your cursing is unnecessary, little bug. I have no intention of consuming your kind on this day."**_ He said. _**"That is if you are willing to bargain."**_ The Lindworm offered.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

 _ **"I have traveled far and wide, though in all the years I have been alive, I have never quite come across a treasure such as the one you carry on your person."**_ He explained. _**"Give it to me, and I will consider returning to my state of slumber once more."**_

"..." I stood there in silence for a few moments, contemplating the offer that was presented before me.

 _ **"Though if you chose to decline, I will kill you and loot it off of your ashes. Then I will break free from this mountain and ravage the land once again. You killed my kind all those years ago, it would be rather fitting for me to do the same, don't you think?"**_ He asked.

"..." I stared up at the monster with a serious expression on my face before reaching into my pocket and pulling out the relic that was given to me by the spirit that was bound to my soul.

Once one of its eyes laid on the wooden surface of the object, the monster quickly came in closer to inspect it. I could feel the breath of the beast against my skin, as well as the heat coming from his nostrils.

 _ **"Ah, yes. That is quite the treasure indeed. Now, hand it over."**_ He commanded.

I took a deep breath before placing it onto the ground beneath me. Once I did that, I began to walk away from the beast in question while he inspected the object that laid on the ground.

Though just as he was about to pick it the relic, the spirit of Shade suddenly appeared before the monster. Before the Lindworm could voice his surprise at the sudden turn of events, the spirit reeled his arm backward's before throwing a mighty punch upon the skull of the monster.

Gold flew up into the air, along with the relic that was given to me by the ghost before me. Once I caught the wooden object in my hands, I could hear the monster growl from underneath the rubble.

 _ **"So, you resort to trickery! The tactics of a desperate man! A final foolish act, one that will doom your entire race!"**_ The monster roared, causing me to run as fast as I possibly could.

 _ **"Did you really believe that such a ruse would work against the likes of me?! No blade can pierce me, no bullet can damage my hull!"**_ The Lindworm roared during the chase.

 _ **"I ravaged your land long ago! I will do so again!"**_ He said. _**"My teeth are the sharpest of blades! My claws can penetrate any armor! My wings can blow down mountains! My fire will turn you all to a groveling puddle of nothingness!"**_ As if on cue, the beast let out a mighty roar, causing a wave of fire to come out of its mouth.

Fortunately, I quickly ducked behind a stone pillar to avoid the attack. I could feel the heat rushing down my skin, the wind blowing through my hair as I grasped onto my hat to prevent it from going with the current.

I shot up from the ground and began to run once again, causing the Lindworm to let loose another raging inferno from its mouth. It just narrowly missed me, only setting fire to the back of my jacket.

Once I put out the flames, I began to make my way towards the exit of the ruin. Though just as I had arrived at the staircase, I could see the masked man and his canine friend waiting for me.

"Come on! We have to go!" I yelled, causing the man to nod before making his way up the flight of stairs. The ground beneath us began to shake once we heard the Lindworm release another mighty roar.

"Damn it!" I swore as we continued to make our escape. We needed to get out of here, there was no way we were going to fight that thing all on our own, we needed to warn the others, evacuate the town for the oncoming battle.

Though once we managed to exit the mountain, we could still feel the surface shaking. All of a sudden, a massive explosion was heard from the west, causing the two of us to turn our heads towards the source of the noise.

However, what was saw only made our fears arise from within our hearts. We could see the Lindorm flying towards the Town of York with another inferno awaiting in its stomach.

"Damn," I said quietly once I thought about what would happen once the monster reached its destination. Though before I could think about it too much, I shook my head and began to run down the mountain. "Come on! We need to hurry!" I yelled to the duo.

We needed to be there for the battle, to end the war that humanity has raged against these monsters. This would be the final battle of the late king's legacy, the battle for York.

 _ **...**_

Meanwhile, while everyone was out searching for the duo who sought to plunder the mountain for the treasure that lies within it, the rest of the group kept watching from within the town in case the duo returned from their trip.

The armored man in question was currently sharpening the large massive blade that he carried around with him. There was a lot on the mind of the Huntsmen in Training, specifically regarding the safety of his friends that had set out to the mountain.

"Everything seems to be in order so far," Agnes said to the man as she sat down next to him.

"That is good. We need to be prepared for anything. Even if it is the worst possible outcome." He said. "Though I do hope that the rest of the group will be able to prevent the beast from awakening." The giant said.

"You and I both." She said. "So, you're a Huntsmen in training, right? Must be really nice to get an opportunity to train at Beacon. Not a whole lot of applicants get accepted." She said to the man.

"I had some help to get where I am today." He said before he turned his head towards the woman. "Did you wish to become a Huntress?"

"Not really, I was never really a fan of the whole fight for the sake of honor. I like to fight for a bunch of reasons, most of them aren't exactly what I would call noble." Agnes said.

"Being a Huntsmen isn't about honor, at least not all of it. There are many reasons for one to fight." He said.

"That right? So why do you fight?" She asked, though the only thing she was greeted with was silence. In truth, the motivation of the man before her was much more complex then she could have thought.

However, before she could begin to question the giant once again, the sound of rapid footsteps could be heard from the entrance of the town. The two shot up from where they were sitting in order to investigate.

Sure enough, the partner of the man could be seen running across the stone pathway that led to the large plateau where town rested. Behind her were three men, though the only one he recognized was the owner of the shop that had gathered them for this mission.

The other two were rather unfamiliar to him, though he assumed that these two were the perpetrators behind the plans of theft. If not, then he had quite the number of questions for the duo.

"Yatsu!" Velvet called out in a rather panicked tone. The man suddenly became alarmed before he rushed over to his partner's side along with the woman he had just recently met.

"What's going on?" He asked the girl.

"I don't really know quite yet, though it's nothing good! We found the thieves." She began once she motioned her hand over towards Kurt and Zayn. "Though we weren't able to get to them in time before they opened the door to the mountain!"

"We captured them in the caverns where the treasure was, though something went wrong near the end!" She said.

"Try to calm down! Where is Brandon, did he not go with you?" He asked in attempts to get a better read on the situation before him. He also noticed that the masked man was nowhere to be seen as well.

"He and Floyd stayed behind to try to get the situation under control!" Velvet said.

"What situation? Did something happen while you all were out there?" Agnes asked as she joined in on the conversation.

"It's the Ancient Beast! It's starting to wake up!" The girl said to the duo, causing chills to go down their spines upon hearing her words. The two thieves were rather confused by what they meant, though they were quickly silenced at the sound of an explosion coming from the mountain.

"What in the world was that?!" They heard one of the last remaining founders yell as he rushed towards the gates to see what the commotion was about. However, the answer came as soon as the question was asked once they looked off into the distance.

"Dear god," Theodore said once his eyes fell on the Lindworm that was taking to the skies. "We need to evacuate the town, now! Gather as many warriors as you can possibly get!" He said as he started to make his way back into the town.

Everyone else nodded as they started to scurry around town, though Yatsuhashi noticed that the two thieves were still rather terrified at the mere sight of the monster. The man clenched his fists before he started to walk over towards the duo.

Before either of them could react, the man had picked up both of them by the collar of their shirts. "Do you have any idea what you have done?! The consequences of your actions?!" He roared.

"Look, we didn't know this would happen! If we did we would have never even tried to steal from the mountain!" Zayn said in attempts to defend himself.

"We didn't mean for this to happen! We swear, look we'll help however we can!" Kurt said to the giant as well. The man in question narrowed his eyes at the duo before placing both of them on the ground.

"Go into the town! Get as many people as you can out and gather the warriors that reside in the academy! We're going to need all the help we can possibly get for this oncoming battle!" He said.

The two of them nodded in agreement before rushing into the town in order to do as they were told. Bells could be heard throughout the plateau while the citizens of the town of York began to race in response to the call for an evacuation.

Various shouts and concerns could be heard throughout the streets, though no one from the group seemed to be able to make it out. Though they needed to press onwards, they needed to get to the combat school.

It was rather difficult to get through all the commotion, though the group eventually managed to get to the combat school while Soloman, Kurt, and Zayn aided everyone in the evacuation.

The students and staff were scurrying about with their weapons at their side, trying to asses the situation that was currently going on. The two students from Beacon attempted to get their attention, though their efforts didn't seem to do much.

"Everyone! Listen up!" Theodore yelled, causing everyone to stop dead in their tracks. "The Ancient Beast that was supposedly killed ninety years ago has returned! It has come to terrorize the land once again!" He yelled.

Murmurs could be heard throughout the crowd about how this beast could still be alive. "Though now is not the time to question our history! We need to ensure the safety of the citizens of this town! We need to evacuate!" He said.

"What about Brandon and Floyd?! We can't just leave them to fight that monster!" Velvet said.

"Do not worry! We're going to hold that monster off as long as we can while you and the rest of the students make sure everyone makes it out safely! Once you see the two on your way out, inform them of the situation!" The founder said to the group.

"No! We will not leave you to fight that monster on your own!" Yatsuhashi said once he gripped the handle of the sword that was on his back.

"The people need protection! They need fighters who will lead the way! Those warriors need to be you! Now go! Do not let this monster slaughter the town!" Theodore said, though before the two could argue any further, the roar of the Lindworm quickly cut them off.

Everyone turned towards the source of the noise to see the beast flying above their town. It's stomach started to glow brightly, and only a few moments afterward it let out a wave of fire from its mouth that scorched part of the town.

Screams could be heard through the flames, as well as various gunshots coming from the weapons of the warriors who were underneath the ground. The rabbit girl stared in absolute horror at what she had just witnessed while Yatsuhashi merely had an expression of fury on his face.

"Go! The rest of you, with me!" Theodore ordered as the students started to gather as many townsfolk as they possibly could. While the duo still had concerns for the old man, they had no time to argue.

Once they got their thoughts situated, they started to aid the rest of the students in their efforts to save the people. Once they were out of sight, the staff started to focus their efforts on taking down the monster that soured through the skies.

Theodore clenched his fists, causing his eyes to turn amber while some sort of markings started to form on his skin. He jumped up to the roofs and started to shoot various explosive shots from his mouth.

This seemed to grab the attention of the Lindworm as he let out a growl before turning his head towards the man. The two roared at one another before charging forwards, each side preparing for the battle that would follow.

While the battle was being waged, the duo who had stayed behind started to make their way towards the front gates of the town. Though the only thing they were greeted with was the sight of the various citizens leaving the settlement.

"The hell?" I asked as I ran up towards the crowd. "You should make sure everyone gets out okay, I'm going to look for the others!" I said to the masked man, causing him to nod his head.

I started to make my way through the crowd in hopes to find someone from our group, though at the moment I had no luck in doing so. That is until I heard the voices of those two fools from before.

"Alright people! Let's get a move on! We need to get out of here!" I heard Zayn said as he started to clap his hands in hopes to speed up the process. I growled and started to walk up to the duo in question.

The leader of the two seemed to notice my presence and turned around to greet me, though he was quickly cut off once I grabbed the collar of his shirt. "You're a real piece of work, you know that!" I said.

"Yeah, I heard it from that giant earlier! You don't need to repeat what's already been done!" He said before pushing me away and dusting himself off.

"Ugh, Zayn. Thing's aren't looking so good over here." Kurt said with his fist clenched over his mouth.

"Just try to hold it in a little longer! We'll find a safe place to let loose once this whole thing blows over!" Zayn said, though it wasn't until I noticed that the large man was starting to cough ashes that I really took an interest to what was happening.

"What's going on with him?" I asked with my arms crossed.

"It's his semblance. He's always storing up energy from within his body, energy that he can let loose at any time he wants until he's reached his limit. Once that happens, the results can be pretty explosive." He said, causing my head to perk up.

"Explosive?" I asked once the gears in my head started to turn.

"Yeah, last time he stored up past his limit he blew a good chunk of a small mountain." The leader of the duo said, which in turn caused an idea to spark from within my head. This was an opportunity, one that I couldn't let pass.

"Hey," I said to the two men.

"Hmm?" They hummed once they turned their heads towards me.

"I've got an idea. One that might kill that monster for good this time." I said to the duo.

"That right? Well, I'm all ears. Any plan that kills that bastard is a good one in my book." He said.

"Well, you're not gonna like it, I'll tell you that much," I said with a serious expression.

"I don't like anything about this situation. Not a whole lot you can do to make it worse." He said.

"Alright, here's the plan," I said once I started to explain the situation.

"You said that his semblance causes a massive explosion once it's reached its limit, right?" I asked, causing the duo to nod to confirm my statement.

"From the looks of it, nothing we do seems to be working against that thing. We can't penetrate the scales." I said.

"Mind getting to the point? We don't have a lot of time." Zayn said.

"If we can't kill it from the outside, how about we kill it from the inside?" I proposed.

"...That's a terrible idea." The leader said.

"Well, it's the only one we have right now!" I said.

"...What do we have to do?" Kurt asked, causing Zayn to spin his head around to face his partner.

"You can't be serious! You're gonna get yourself killed!" He said.

"Look, Zayn. We've been stealing from folks for a long time now. If I'm going to go out, I at least want to die while doing something right for a change." He said as he stood next to me with his hand on my shoulder.

"...Fine, what do we have to do?" Zayn asked.

"The only way this thing is going is if we take the head, though at the moment it's still guarded by scales," I said. "So, the only way we're ever going to take out the heaf if we go from the inside, the only place where it has no form of defense."

"Though that would mean whoever is the one in the front lines…" Zayn began.

"Would be the one in the most danger." I finished.

"Though it's the best chance we have."

"Come on, this is a suicide mission! Think with your goddamn head!" Kurt said.

"..."

"Look, this won't end here. This bastard will go to town to town, city to city until there's nothing left but ashes and bone. This war needs to end today." I said, desperately trying to convince the large man to go through with this plan.

"...Let's go." Kurt said as he started to walk towards the gates of the town.

I nodded my head before beginning to follow the man in question.

"You two are gonna get us killed!" Zayn yelled as he followed close behind us. Though before we could initiate the plan, I was quickly stopped by the two students from Beacon.

"My friend! It's good to see you again!" He said.

"Yeah! Thought we lost you, mate! Though what are you doing with these two?" She asked.

"...We're going to kill the monster." I said to the duo as I attempted to walk towards the gate, though the rabbit girl quickly stopped me in my tracks.

"Hold on! That thing is gonna destroy the whole town! We need to get out of here, now!" She said.

"You two go. I got to stay here." I said before lightly pushing Velvet out of the way.

"No way! There's no way I'm letting you go in there!" She said.

"I second that! You're coming with us!" The giant insisted.

"Look, I have something it wants! I'm the perfect bait for this thing!" I said.

"What? Hold on, did you-?!" Velvet began, only for me to shake my head before she could continue.

"No, I didn't take anything. Though I just so happen to have this." I said as I pulled out the relic that was given to me by the spirit.

"What in the world?" She asked.

"How did you get your hands on something as strange looking as that?" Zayn asked.

"It's a long story, and time isn't exactly something we have at the moment," I said.

"Look, aura won't be much help to you! This thing blew up a part of a mountain! One hit from it will shatter it instantly!" Velvet said.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that," I said. It took the girl a second to connect the dots, though once she did, she looked at me with an expression of horror.

"You're kidding." She said lightly.

"Wish I was," I said, causing realization to dawn on the giant.

"No! I'm not letting you do this, my friend! This is too dangerous!" He said.

"You don't have any other option! These people need protection!" I said.

"You could be killed!" Velvet shouted.

"Thousands of others will die if I don't at least try to kill this thing! We have to do this, now get going before that thing shows up again!" I yelled before rushing off towards the gates with the two thieves by my side.

"..." The two warriors in training stood there in silence, not sure what to do next.

Though as if fate had been watching over them, Velvets scroll began to ring from within her pocket. She scrambled to see who was calling her, and as luck would have it, her team leader Coco Adel was on the front of her screen.

Without even a second thought, she quickly answered the call.

"Coco?!" Velvet shouted

" _ **Whoa! Easy there, no need to shout. What's wrong? You sound all shaken up."**_ She said.

"Look, there's no time to explain! We're in trouble, we need you and Fox to get down here as fast as you can!" Velvet yelled before sending her leader the coordinates to the town.

" _ **Hold, calm down! Tell me what's going on!"**_

"I wish I could! Though I have a job to do! We have a job to do, so get down here now!" She said as she hung up the call and ran towards the gates.

"Velvet! Hold on!" Yatsuhashi yelled to his partner.

"We don't have time! Come on, we have a fight to win!" She yelled.

The giant was still taken aback by her sudden determination, though he nodded and proceeded to follow her into the town.

 _ **..**_

"We need to get to higher ground! Try to draw its attention!" I said as I ran down the burning streets of York with the two thieves behind me.

"How are you holding up?!" The leader of the duo asked his partner.

"I'm getting there! We might want to pick up the pace!" He responded.

"You heard the guy! Let's get a move on!" He said.

I growled to myself while I started to scan the area to see if there were any potential high points I could use to draw the Lindworms attention. Eventually, my eyes settled on some clock tower that was just a few blocks from here.

"I'm gonna head to that clock tower! You two get ready!" I yelled before using the force of Shade to propel myself up into the air and onto the roof, leaving the two stunned as to what they had just witnessed.

"...What the hell just happened?!" The leader asked.

Though I didn't have any more time to hear what they had to say, at the moment I need to focus on getting the attention of this monster. In the distance, I could see the group of warriors desperately trying to take down the beast before them, though all of their efforts proved to be fruitless.

The Lindorm swung its massive tail at one group in order to shake them off while he shot another wave of fire at another group.

I could see one warrior attempt to behead the monster, though the blade merely broke like a stick which caused the beast to bite down on his flesh, consuming him in the process.

The moment I saw that was the only motivation I needed to pick up the pace, using the strength of Shade to jump from building to building as necessary. Eventually, I managed to reach the clock tower. I busted down the door in order to stare at the giant bell before me.

I turned to my right in order to open the window that led to the outside of the tower before covering my ears and turning towards the bell. Using every ounce of strength I had, I ran up to the bell and pushed it, causing the sound to echo throughout the town.

The Lindworm turned around to face the source of the noise, giving me the opportunity I needed to provoke him. "Hey! You want it?!" I roared while holding up the relic that was in my hand.

"Come and get it you bastard!" I finished, causing the Lindworm to roar as it soared through the air once again in order to give chase to me. I ran towards the door that led to the outside of the tower, just barely dodging the monsters attempt on my life.

Once I landed on the rooftops, I wasted no time running towards the place where I last saw the dynamic duo. It didn't take long for the monster to locate me once again, though just like last time, I jumped off of the house in order to dodge the oncoming attack.

I landed on the ground with an audible thud and proceeded to search for the two. After a few moments of scanning the area, I eventually found the two camped up on some sort of watch tower.

I skidded on the ground slightly before I started to sprint towards the tower. I busted down the door and started to make my way upstairs to meet the duo.

"Okay, you got its attention! What now?!" Zayn yelled, his eyes glued to the flying serpent that circled them.

"Now we need to get it to open its mouth! That's when we strike!" I yelled.

Though before we could put our plan into action, the shouts of Kurt quickly pulled us back into reality.

We could see the monster heading towards us at alarming speeds, causing the duo to jump off the tower in hopes to get out of its range while I ducked under the staircase to dodge.

The top of the watchtower came crumbling down and an audible thud could be heard from the outside. I slowly rose from the rubble to face the monster head-on with an expression determination plastered on my face.

" _ **Even now, you stand against me! I suppose bugs like you will always fail to learn!"**_ He said." _ **How do you plan to stop me, boy! You're all out of tricks! All out of resources!"**_

"..." I merely stared at the monster with a determined expression on my face.

 _ **"Oh? Do you have nothing to say before you meet your maker? You are alone! Do you truly believe that those thieves will help you?! Look, even now they flee for their lives!"**_

I turned around to see that the Lindworm was telling the truth, the two I put my trust in were fleeing like cowards.

"Figures," I swore.

" _ **Oh? Where did that bravado go? I suppose you truly are out of tricks."**_ The monster said as it slowly started to close the gap between us. " ** _No one will come. This is where-!"_** He began, only for a barrage of bullets to hail onto the head of the monster.

I turned my head towards the source of the noise to see a set of familiar yet unfamiliar allies from within an airship. The first one was well dressed and wore a pair of sunglasses, as well as carried around a large Gatling Gun with her.

Next to the woman known as Coco Adel was a dark-skinned man who wore a sleeveless shirt and had faded eyes. This man was known as Fox Alistair, the partner to the fashionista next to him.

Alongside Yatsuhashi and Velvet, the four made up the team known as CFVY.

The Lindworm roared at the duo and let loose a wave of fire, causing the two to jump out from the ship while it made its escape. I attempted to sneak away unnoticed, though the monster turned its attention towards me by swinging its tail at the tower.

The structure started to crumble, and with no other option, I jumped off the railing in hopes of survival.

Just as I had jumped off of the building, I could feel something suddenly grab me tightly. Once I landed on the ground, I could see that the giant himself, Yatsuhashi has come to the rescue.

"Hello, my friend. Are you alright?" He asked before putting me down on the ground.

"I thought I told you to make sure that the people got out of here safely?" I asked as I dusted myself off.

"You did." I heard Velvet say once she appeared from behind the man. "Though you also said to do our jobs, and from where I stand, leaving a friend to die wasn't in the job description." She said with a smile.

"...Right." I responded as the sound of footsteps could be heard behind us. I turned around to see the two thieves running towards us.

"Whew! That was a close one! Everyone okay?!" The leader asked.

"For now. How's he holding up?" I asked once I turned my attention towards Kurt.

"We gotta do this now. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this in!" He said.

"Okay! Then let's get moving!" I said.

"Hold on!" I heard Coco's voice day say from around the corner.

"You're not leaving without us," Coco said as she turned to face me. "Names Coco, we can get introductions out of the way later, for now, let's take care of this!"

"Right, so here's the plan!" I said before telling them what our next move would be.

Once I finished explaining the situation, everyone nodded before turning their heads towards the monster.

" _ **Nowhere to run."**_ The Lindworm said as he slowly started to make his towards us.

Team CFVY has decided it was best to remain unseen for the time being, alongside Zayn. This left only Kurt and me to face this monster.

" _ **Now come! Face your deaths!"**_ He roared as he charged towards us. Though just as he was about to consume the two of us, I summoned every ounce of energy I had left in order to push Kurt over towards the mouth of the monster.

I started to run in the opposite direction as a bright light started to shine behind me. It only took a few seconds, but the thief finally released all the energy he had stored up, causing a massive explosion to detonate from within the mouth of the monster.

The shockwave sent me flying through the air until I eventually landed on a stone wall. I held my back due to the pain I was feeling back there, and it took everything I had to not fall out of consciousness right then and there.

Once the dust settled, we could see the Lindworm limping around with its lower jaw blown off of its body. It took to the skies in an attempt to escape, though just as he flew over the forest lake, he fell into the depths of the water.

The air was silent for a few moments, as we were listening to make sure that the monster was really dead.

A few moments passed, moments of silence until we knew for certain. The monster was dead, this time for good.

We all started to cheer in response to our most recent triumph.

"Holy shit! We did it, we actually killed it!" I said once we all gathered from on top of a stone bridge.

"I can't believe we just did that! We're only first years and we took down something like that!" Velvet said.

We all continued to voice our excitement, though, in the midst of everything, I could see Zayn and Kurt looking at all of us in a rather cautious manner.

Now that the monster was dead and the town was safe, there was really no reason for us to keep them around. They were still the cause of this whole thing, though after thinking about it for a few moments I came to a decision.

"You two should probably hit the road," I said once I walked up to them.

The two looked at me with rather surprised expressions. "Why? I mean, we're the reason why this thing attacked in the first place, the reason some people died." Kurt said.

"That May be true, though you both did play a major role in ending it. So consider us even." I said as I turned around to go back to the group.

"Though try not to cause any more trouble." I requested.

It took a few moments for the two to come to a decision, though they eventually decided that it would be best to leave town while they still can.

"You know, when I called you to see what you were up to, this was about the last thing I suspected," Coco said with a chuckle.

"So, how exactly do you three know each other?" Fox asked curiously.

"Well…" Velvet began.

"It's a bit of a long story," I said as the three of us began to recount the events that had transpired from the past few days.

After the dust settled, the people of the Town of York began to rebuild once again. The media had a field day with this incident, the Town of York became a tourist attraction for the last battle against these monsters.

The ruins were still sealed off as a monument to the battle, and with some convincing, we managed to convince the general public that this wasn't the monster the King fought all those years ago,

We figured it would have been in the best interest if only a handful of people knew what really happened during that battle. With the business done, I decided that it would be best to head back to Vale. After saying our goodbyes, the five of us headed back home. A couple of days passed until Mary returned, to which I was greeted with a series of questions on her part.

As such, I started to tell her about everything that has happened from the past few weeks.

"So that's basically what happened ever since you left two weeks ago," I said to the Huntress as we sat down at the kitchen table.

"Well, you certainly had an eventful time," Mary said, still absorbing all of the information I had given her.

"That's one way to put it," I said with my arms crossed.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't think this task would be too difficult for you. I suppose I should have expected the worst when Soloman called me in for that favor." The Huntress said.

"You couldn't have known. Though a little heads up would be nice for the future." I said.

"Right, I just wanted to see how you handled things without any guidance. From the looks of it, you do fairly well." She said.

"So, what happens now?" I asked with one of my eyebrows raised.

"I have another mission to attend to. Might be gone for a couple of days." She said. "Pack your things, we head out in a few minutes."

"Hold on, we? As in you and I?" I asked the woman for clarification.

"That's typically what the word we mean's." She said as she started to head towards the stairs.

I let out a light chuckle before following her upstairs in order to get ready for the next mission, as well as the ones that are sure to follow.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus, another chapter of our story comes to a close. Our heroes did their best to prevent the monster from awakening from its slumber, though such a task proved to be much more challenging then they had originally expected.**_

 _ **Though once the monster was unleashed onto the world once again, some unlikely heroes stepped up to the plate in order to challenge it.**_ _ **It was a hard fought battle, one with many casualties, though, in the end, the group emerge victoriously and the town was saved.**_

 _ **However, this will be but one of many battles that have yet to come, and some of these battles will not just test strength alone.**_

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: I'm The One**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Ruby's Guide to The World of Remnant**_

 _ **Lindworms**_

 _ **Not a lot of people even knew these things were still around anymore.**_

 _ **Well, I suppose with what's been going on in News nowadays, I suppose these things are extinct now.**_

 _ **Though, I thought this would make for a good entry either way!**_

 _ **A Lindworm is an interesting creature, due to the fact that many thought that this thing was a Dragon from ancient times.**_

 _ **Though others thought it was some sort of serpent. Not a whole lot is really known about these creatures.**_

 _ **Most of them were killed a very long time ago, though we do know that these things are scavengers.**_

 _ **These things love treasure, and they're super protective of it! They're also incredibly strong from what I've heard, though luckily for all of you, they're extinct!**_

 _ **That's one less monster to worry about!**_

 _ **Stay Safe and Happy Hunting!**_


	9. I'm The One

_**The Story so Far... After obtaining an assignment from his temporary business partner, our hero sought the Town of York out alongside his new found friends. However, what was supposed to be a simple assignment of capturing two thieves turned into an all-out skirmish with the last of the Lindworm, a ferocious beast that terrorized the land years ago.**_

 _ **The battle was hard fought, though our heroes emerged victorious, defeating the monster once and for all. Now that the boy had proven his worth to the woman in question, the two now sought out to complete more missions.**_

 _ **Many would come and go, some would end in success while others would end in failure. Though as each day passes, our hero grows more accustomed to the abilities of the spirit known as Shade.**_

 _ **However, even now the boy still believes that the woman hides information from him. Still, he must focus on the bigger picture that was presented before him, he could worry about the archeologist's secrets at a later time.**_

 _ **For now, their battles will be waged against the**_ _ **monsters themselves, sometimes one must wage war with their own kind in order to push forward towards the end of the road they walk.**_

 _ **I'm The One**_

It's been quite sometime since the day I departed for the Town of York, one month to be exact. Ever since then Mary and I had been going on private missions in order to prepare for the next step of finding the presumed deceased Doctor Merlot.

Mary had done most of the work even before I arrived in this world, all she needed to do now was to head towards the facility where the company was established all those years ago.

I still don't know the reason behind why Mary even needs my help in the first place, she's been doing fine on her own from the looks of it. This feels more than just one of the missions we would go on over the course of this month.

Right now I was just leaning on the stone walls of one of the buildings that had been built from within the walls of the Kingdom as I stared up into the blue sky above me. The streets were bustling with life, cars zooming down the roads while people waited on the sidewalk in order to cross.

I sighed before walking into some sort of alleyway in order to examine the relic that was given to me by the silent spirit. Even after two months of being in this world, the only thing I've gotten from the spirit was cold silence.

The hollow eyes of the relic peered into my soul, though they weren't emanating the same white eerie energy from before. To be honest, they haven't been doing that for quite some time.

Last time they did was from within the caves where I first met the Historian and the Prideful Grimm Teacher. That was also the last time they emanated that feeling of emptiness, at least that's how the those two described it.

Honestly, I didn't really feel anything from within those caves, though then again that might have something to do with Shade being bound to my soul. Seems like a lot of things have been affected because of the deal I made with him.

Though he does manage to get me out of some serious situations, so I suppose the arrangement we have for now will suffice for now. Though once he does decide to speak up, I have a few questions for him.

I shook my head before placing the relic back into one of my coat pockets. My hat shielded my eyes from the sudden sunlight once I walked out from the dark alleyway, the sound of the busy city greeting me once again.

At the moment, the archeologist in question was rather busy attending to her duties as an instructor of Beacon Academy. This left me with really nothing to do for the day, as I'm sure that the Huntress wouldn't exactly appreciate if I just went out on my own.

So right now I was just wandering around the streets of the Kingdom, hoping to find something to do in order to pass the time. Jacob was currently out of town, leaving the bar he ran closed for the time being.

I had no luck finding those three stowaways that I met from last month, and the team that I had befriended during the battle to defend the Town of York from the Lindworm were too busy with their training to do much of anything.

That left me standing alone with nothing but my thoughts to pass the time, as well as the silent spirit that resided from within my very head. Though I had been keeping an eye on the whole news surrounding the concert that would be held on behalf of the soldiers that fell during the Battle for Helios.

After all, it was being hosted by the Schnee Dust Company itself, whose heiress will play a rather large role in the events to come. Even though things were going the way they were originally told from, there were some pretty concerning changes.

While the monsters in the original telling of the story about four color-coded girls going to save the world weren't exactly mindless, they weren't causing as many issues as they were now.

An increase in their intelligence was never really something that was addressed, nor was the threat of other potential monsters lurking from within the mountains of this world.

I knew from the second I arrived in this world that things were going to be a tad bit different then I was originally expecting, though I these possibilities never even crossed my mind.

One fact was clear now, this was only the start of many potential changes that I would come across during my new life in this familiar, yet unfamiliar world. Though I could worry about that at a later time.

However, little did I know that there was a group of rather rough looking thugs staring at me from within the crowd. They seemed to wear rather similar looking clothing, though the only thing similar about them was the color.

They all wore blue clothing, though the outfits did differ to some sort of extent. "Did you see that? That thing that one had in his hand." One of the men said to the group while the others watched.

"Yeah, it looks like it's worth something." The large man of the group said through his bandana that was wrapped around his mouth. "We might want to take it to the boss, maybe we could make some money off of it." He said.

"Then what are we waiting for! Let's grab the item and get out of here!" A member of the group said as he started to walk towards the boy with the intent of taking the item from the boy.

Though before the man could go any further, one of them stopped him in his tracks. "Hold on there, we don't want to rush anything. We're in broad daylight, and the boss specifically said not to draw attention to ourselves."

"What do you propose we do then?" The large man asked, causing the man to pinch his chin.

"Hmm, I've got an idea. Here's what we'll do. First we..." He began before he started to breakdown the plan he had in mind. Once the discussion was finished, the group nodded before walking into a nearby alleyway.

I continued to make my way through the city of Vale, though everything seemed to be rather peaceful for the time being. Though once I started to make my way into the commercial district, I could hear the sound of an old man calling out to someone.

I raised one of my eyebrows before turning my head towards the source of the noise. Upon further inspection, I could see the old man from that ran the "From Dust Till Dawn" store standing out in the front of his establishment.

Though for some reason, he was staring at the top of his store rather than inspecting the front. I raised my head to see what the old man was looking at, though what I saw took me by surprise.

On top of the store was a young girl, no older than ten standing on the edge of the store. She had dark skin, brown hair and pink eyes, along with some sort of black hoodie with brown shorts.

Even for her age, she was rather small, even smaller than a certain mute that wandered the criminal underworld. She scanned the area as if she were looking for something or someone for that matter.

"Young lady! Please get down from there, it's far too dangerous!" The shopkeeper said though the girl paid no attention to the man.

With my curiosity peaked, I started to walk towards the man with my hands in my pocket. "Something wrong?" I asked the old man, causing him to turn his head in my direction.

"Oh! Thank goodness you're here young man! There's a little girl standing atop my shop, and I fear that she might get seriously hurt!" He said in a concerned tone while pointing up at the ceiling of his shop.

"I can see that," I said as I stared at the girl in question.

"Would it be too much trouble to ask you to help me get her down from such a dangerous place! I'm sure her parents are worried." He said, causing me to stare up at the top of the building.

Now, there were a lot of things that I wouldn't do for free, everything comes at a price after all. This was not one of those things. I sighed as I rubbed my temples with my hands before turning my head towards the shopkeeper. "Yeah, sure. Do you have a way up there?" I asked.

"There's a ladder on the left of the building!" He said, causing me to nod my head before making my way over to the ladder. Once I made my way over to the side of the building, I started to climb up the building until I eventually arrived at the top with a grunt, causing the girl to turn her head over towards the ladder.

"Who are you?!" She asked with an alarmed expression.

"Relax, I'm not here to hurt you," I said once I put my hands up in hopes to calm her down. The last thing I needed was for her to fall off the building and onto the concrete below us.

"Oh, well then why are you here?" She asked me as she hopped on down from the edge and over in my direction. Upon further inspection, she was a lot shorter than I originally thought she was, only reaching up to my knee when it came to height.

"I could ask you the same thing. It's not exactly every day that some ten-year-old kid just climbs to the top of a building." I countered.

"Really? You don't climb the tallest thing you see?" She asked me with a puzzled expression.

"...No, can't say that I do, nor have I met anyone who does." I said with an equally confused look.

"What?! What do you people do for fun around here then?!" She asked.

"Lots of things," I said to her with my arms crossed. This whole situation was still surprising to me, even now I wasn't sure how to deal with such a young girl who seemed rather ignorant of how things in the city ran.

"You people are weird." She said before she placed her hands behind her head.

"You're one to talk. I take it you're not from around here?" I asked.

"No, thank goodness for that. This place gives me the creeps, all these tall stones huddled together, everyone all hunched in one place, it's like no one here has any room to breathe!" She said as she threw her hands up in the air.

I merely stared at her in silence, not really sure how to take this conversation. I'm normally able to talk to anyone, though this was the first time I was at a loss for words.

"You okay?" She asked, snapping me back into reality.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm okay. Though I should really be asking you that, how did you even get up here in the first place?" I asked.

"How I normally get everywhere. I climb tall things until I get to where I need to go. Though for some reason, people wearing these blue outfits didn't seem to like that. I wonder why?" She asked herself.

"You mean to tell me that a kid like you, climbed all the way up here on your own. Without any adult supervision whatsoever?" I asked, completely taken aback by what I was hearing.

"That's right. How did you get up here? I didn't see you climb any of these stones." She questioned.

"I took the ladder that was at the side of the shop," I answered.

"What's that?" She asked, causing an audible record scratch to go off in my head.

"...You're kidding." I said as my eye started to twitch. I wasn't sure whether or not she was just playing with my head, or if she was genuinely serious about not knowing what a ladder was.

"No, I'm not." She said with the same usual innocent expression she had on her face ever since I found her up here.

I merely stood there in silence, as I wasn't really sure if this girl was actually being serious or not. Once I broke myself out of this daze, I started to walk towards the ladder, causing the girl to follow in my footsteps.

Once we arrived at the edge, I pointed down, causing the girl to poke her head out from over the side of the building.

"That's how you got up?" She asked.

"Yeah, how exactly were you expecting to get down?" I asked.

"Well, I would try to find some stones that led down to the ground, though if I couldn't I would have just jumped off." She said, causing me to once again stare at her with a very blank, yet perplexed expression.

"...You would have jumped off." I echoed.

"That's what I said." She said.

"Right, and that doesn't seem at all dangerous to you?" I asked.

"Why would it be? I do stuff like this all the time!" She said with a smile. Seeing as I probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere if I had questioned her any further then I already had, I decided it would have been for the best to drop the subject for the time being.

"...Who are your parents?" I needed to have a serious talk about how to raise a kid. Sure I didn't exactly know a whole lot myself, though I knew that this isn't what you're supposed to teach someone her age.

"I don't know." She responded nonchalantly.

"...What do you mean you don't know?!" I asked, seemingly having more questions about this girl than answers.

"I mean, I don't know! I never knew my parents!" She said.

"...Oh, sorry to hear that." I apologized, feeling bad for getting frustrated with her.

"Why?" She asked. "I'm doing just fine without them." The girl said.

"...Right, so you're on your own?" I asked with a serious expression.

"No, I have someone watching out for me!" She said with a smile, causing me to let out a sigh of relief. At least she had someone looking after her, though I needed to have a few choice words with them about what to teach a kid like this.

"Good, and do you have any idea where this person is?" I asked her.

"No, that's why I'm up here in the first place! I'm trying to find them!" She said.

"Right, did they so happen to say where they were going by any chance?" I asked.

"Hmm." She hummed before she started to think of an answer to my question. After a few moments of silence, she eventually responded. "He said he was visiting his sister. Which is strange because he always said that she wasn't here anymore." She said.

"..." The girl may not know what this friend of hers meant, though I've been around in two worlds long enough to know what that phrase meant. "Well, in a way they aren't," I said with a serious expression.

"Then how can you go and see someone when they aren't even around anymore?" She asked.

"...You'll figure it out one day." I said as I stood up from where I was standing. "Did he say where this sister of his was?" I asked.

"Hmm, well he did say that she lived by some sort of cliff by a forest." She answered vaguely.

"Did he say which forest?" I asked.

"It was a forest made out of rocks." She said, causing me to do yet another double take.

"...Excuse me, what?" I questioned.

"Well, he didn't say that exactly. Though that's what it sounds like to me. I don't really remember what the exact name was though." The girl said as she pinched her chin.

It took me a few moments to realize what the girl was trying to say, though it eventually clicked from within my mind. "Do you mean the Emerald Forest?" I asked with one of my eyebrows raised.

"Yeah! That's the one! You'd think a forest made out of rocks would be easier to spot!" She said.

"It's not actually made out of emeralds," I said.

"What?! Then why do they call it the Emerald Forest?!" She asked with her arms crossed.

"I don't know. Because it's very green I suppose." I said with a shrug.

"That's dumb." She said.

"Well, I didn't name it. It also just so happens that I know about the forest you're talking about." I said.

"Really?! Can you take me there?! Please!" She requested, causing me to stand there for a few moments, contemplating whether or not I should help this girl. Though seeing as I had nothing to do in the first place, I decided to help her.

"Sure," I said, causing her to bounce up and down with joy.

"Thanks!" She said with a smile.

"Right, though let's head down to the ground first. It'll be easier that way." I said once I started to walk towards the ladder.

"How come we can't just jump from building to building? Wouldn't that be easier?" She questioned.

"Yeah, well not everyone here knows how to do that," I answered once I started to make my way down to the ground.

"This place keeps getting weirder and weirder." She said as she started to follow me, though rather than just climbing down the ladder like I was, she merely jumped off the side of the building.

I was about to summon Shade in order to catch her, though once she landed safely on the ground, I merely stared at her in silence. "Told you, I do this all the time!" She said.

"...What's your name?" I asked once I reached the bottom of the ladder.

"My name is Iris! What's yours?" She asked.

"The names Brandon," I said with my arms crossed. Though as we started to leave the alleyway, the figures of the men in blue could be seen from the buildings above us. One of them had been watching the two of them with a pair of binoculars in his hands.

He turned towards the group in order to inform them of the situation, causing them to nod as they made their way down the ladder. Meanwhile, I was looking at a directory of the city in order to find the exact location of the Emerald Forest.

Once I managed to get a general idea of the route we would take, I nodded to myself and turned towards the girl named Iris who was standing right behind me. "Alright, I've got a general idea on where we're supposed to go, follow me and we should make it there by..." I began, only to see the empty space of where the girl should have been.

"Sundown." I finished before I began to scan the area around me in hopes to locate the young girl. Though once it became evident to me that she was nowhere to be seen, I decided it would have been best to ask the locals about this place.

"Excuse me, you two," I called over to the two women who were walking around the area, causing them to turn towards me with curious expressions. Though I had come up with some sort of story to explain why I was looking for this girl in order to prevent trouble from stirring.

"Hmm, yes? Do you need something?" One of them asked.

"I'm looking for my kid sister, I only looked away for a second and she was gone. Is it possible that you may have seen her wandering around?" I asked the duo, causing them to stare at one another with concerned expressions.

"Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that! What did she look like?" The dark skinned one asked.

"Well..." I said as I pinched my chin in order to think back on what the girl in question even looked like. "She's really short, she only goes up to my knee really. She has dark skin, brown hair, and pink eyes."

"Hmm, she sounds familiar, what was she wearing?" The blonde haired woman asked.

"Oh, she was wearing a black hoodie and brown shorts," I said, causing the woman to nod her head as she pointed over towards the plaza near the center of the commercial district.

"She went over in that direction." The blonde said, causing me to nod my head as I started to run over towards the plaza.

"Thanks!" I shouted over towards the two.

"No problem! I hope you find your sister!" The dark-skinned woman said as she and the blonde haired woman walked off into the crowd of people. I sighed as I rubbed the temples of my eyes.

This girl was starting to get on my nerves faster than I originally thought she would, though right now I needed to focus on the task at hand. Once I bring her to her guardian, I won't have to talk to her again.

 _ **...**_

Another session of classes has seemingly gone by without too much trouble, the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses beginning to show some progression with their craft as warriors.

Each respective professor had work to do, though the archeologist of the group of teachers that were gathered from within the academy in question had a lot on her plate at the moment.

The secret mission she had set out to do for the past ten years now is starting to come to its climax. The woman could feel it, she was close to discovering the man she had been looking for.

She was so close to obtaining the justice that she wanted. With the help of her newfound ally, she was sure that they would be able to bring the man to justice.

Though for now, she has other duties to attend to. Despite everything else, she was still a Huntress, as well as an instructor at Beacon Academy, as such, it was her job to train and educate the next generation of warriors.

For now, though, she had some room to breathe with everything that has been going on. She had been training the boy relentlessly, going on mission after mission in hopes to prepare him for the journey to the old Company Building.

At the moment, however, she could be seen sitting at her desk from within her classroom while writing an entry down in the journal that she had on her person. Though before she could close the book and head on out to continue her research, she could hear the sounds of footsteps coming from outside of her classroom.

The woman raised her head to see two of her students walking into the room with a set of books in their hands. It took her a few moments to remember the names of the two, though the names Fox and Velvet soon popped into her head once she gazed upon the more notable features of the two.

That being the girl's rabbit ears, and the boy's pure white eyes. These two were also present at the Battle for York, as heard from the countless stories she's heard from the staff.

"Is there something the two of you need?" Mary asked as she closed the journal she had on her desk. The two walked down towards the desk with rather worn out expressions on their faces.

"Yes, we were just curious if you could supervise a sparring match for us? All of the other instructors are busy at the moment." Velvet requested before wiping some of the sweat that was forming on her forehead off.

"That right?" She asked before raising one of her eyebrows at the two teenagers. "Who will be fighting?" The archeologists questioned.

"Our teammates Coco Adel and Yatsuhashi Daichi," Fox responded.

"Hmm." She hummed as she closed her eyes in order to think upon the matter. "You're members of team CFVY, right?" Mary asked the two teens as she shuffled through some of the files she had on the students in her class.

"That's right. Velvet Scarletina, it's a pleasure to be formally introduced." She said before she turned her head over towards her teammate. "Fox Alistair." The blond man greeted.

"I figured as much. I've heard a lot about your team." Mary said to the members of the team.

"Oh, well I'm sure you've heard all about the battle that happened a month ago. It's been quite the talk as of recently." Velvet said with a smile.

"Yeah, The Battle for York. How exactly did you manage to locate the town in the first place?" She asked.

"Well, we did have help from a friend. He was the one who-." She began, only for Fox to lightly jab her side in order to stop her from continuing the story. "Oh! Well, what else is there to say? We're Huntsmen, and it's our job to protect the people! So wherever there's any possible danger, we go and stop it!" She said.

From the looks of it, the boy had told the team to keep his involvement a secret, which was reassuring because she didn't necessarily like the possibility of anyone tracing him back to her.

"Right, well it doesn't really matter how you got there I suppose. You did what you had to do, and you got the job done. The Academy is grateful for that, though try to remember something the next time you're up against something like that." She said. "It is the duty of a Huntsmen to ensure the continued survival of humanity," Mary said. "This profession isn't just about combat, it's about protection above all else." She said.

"The monster would have destroyed the town." Fox countered.

"Structures can be rebuilt in time, though once human life is gone, there's no bringing it back. We are glad that you killed the monster, though people still died during that battle." Mary said. "Some are still burying the fallen, it's the job of a Huntsmen to make sure people don't have to do that." She said.

"I'm not trying to say what you did was wrong, in the end, you did save a lot of lives. Though we have to keep our priorities in check." Mary explained. "Though enough of that, you said you needed a supervisor for your match?" She asked, causing the duo to nod.

The Huntress opened up her journal to look at her schedule for the day, though from the looks of it, she didn't have any missions planned for the time being.

"Well, I have some time. I suppose I could supervise one match." She said as she stood up from her chair in order to leave the room.

"Thank you very much, Ms. Naturae!" Velvet said before bowing in order to show her gratitude towards the woman for accepting their request. "Thanks." Fox simply said once he started to walk towards the door leading out of the office of Mary.

It took the trio awhile, as the campus was fairly large, though they eventually managed to arrive at the arena where they held sparring matches. After all, monsters weren't going to be the only threats that they would have to fight.

Yatsuhashi and Coco could be seen standing in the arena, though both of them were wearing their own respective training attire rather than their usual combat clothing.

Yatsuhashi was wearing some sort of green tank top, while Coco was wearing a brown one. The giant believed that the lack of armor weighing him down would not only further develop his semblance but also develop his mobility.

The leader of the team on the other hand merely wanted to preserve her outfit for more serious situations. She did have an image to maintain after all.

"Ah, looks like you found someone! Good, now we can finally get this show on the road!" Coco said with a smirk.

"Hello, Ms. Naturae. It's good to see you once again." Yatsuhashi said with a bow. Velvet and Fox sat down from within the spectators stands while Mary made her way down to the arena.

"Alright, I take it you two already know how this works?" Mary asked as she took out a cigarette and lit it with the lighter she had in her pocket.

The two nodded as they closed their eyes in order to let their aura flow freely out of their body. The machine above the stadium started to turn on as it detected the aura of the two combatants.

Once that happened, the screen above them started to show the portraits of the two combatants, as well as the meters that calculated their aura.

Yatsuhashi willpower was rather strong, as such, his aura was more durable than most. Coco, on the other hand, had a fiery spirit from within her soul, making some of her attacks more potent.

One's aura could easily be affected by the personality of the person, it can also change as a person grows and develops. Aura was more than just a shield to protect one from harm's way, it was a gateway to one's personality.

"You all know the rules! You fight until your opponent's aura reaches critical levels!" She said as the two combatants got out their respective weapons.

The giant had a fairly large orange blade over his shoulders while the leader of the team revealed a minigun that was mysteriously being held from within her bag.

Even after ten years of being in this profession, there were still some things that had managed to throw Mary off guard, how Coco's weapon was able to fit inside that small bag was one of them.

The two combatants started to circle one another, waiting for the other to make the first move. It took a few moments, though the timer eventually went off, causing Yatsuhashi to rush towards his leader with the blade at his side.

Coco reacted rather quickly by pulling the trigger of her massive weapon, causing hot pieces of lead to come flying out of the various barrels on the gun. Yatsuhashi held out his arm in order to absorb the impact of the bullets that were flying towards him, causing the shield around him to glow brightly as he continued to build up more and more energy in order to release it.

Once his leader was within his range, he pushed out his fist towards her, though this wasn't the first time his leader had seen him use this strategy. It was usually how he won most fights, which in turn gave her enough information in order to counter it.

She quickly retracted her weapon back into her bag and dodged the oncoming attack. This, in turn, caused a rather large shockwave to spread throughout the arena. Velvet and Fox threw their arms up against their faces in order to shield themselves from the wind, though Mary was more conditioned to these sorts of conditions.

The fashionista kept her usual confident smirk on her face while the giant stared at her with a serious expression. He gripped the handle of his blade with the both of his hands and started to swing it in her direction, though she merely rolled out of the way of the massive blade's way in order to aim her weapon at the man once again, though this time she only did it partially.

It made it so that she could only fire in short bursts, though this also made it easier for her to move around. She needed to keep her distance from this giant, as close quarters combat wasn't really her cup of coffee.

He continued to block the bullets that were coming in his direction, whether it be absorbing the impact or dodging them all together. Coco kept the pressure up, though there was only so much she could actually do until the giant was eventually able to close the gap.

The man only used half of his energy in order to slam his foot onto the ground, causing a cloud of dust to fill the area. Coco coughed for a few moments as she shook away the dust that was forming around her nostrils.

Due to the smokescreen, she wasn't able to detect the oncoming attack that was coming from behind her. Yatsuhashi rammed his arm onto the cheek of his leader, causing her to go flying a few feet away.

She cursed under her breath before she started to fire her weapon at the man once again. The two continued to exchange blows for some time until Yatsuhashi finally managed to store some more energy in order to use his semblance once again. With this new found strength at his side, he began to walk through the barrage of bullets that his leader had sent his way.

Coco smirked, as she had been planning for this approach from the giant. This was how the man went about his fights, absorbing the attacks of enemies in order to turn him into an immovable object.

Though this, in turn, made it difficult for him to move around, which gave her the perfect opportunity to end this battle. She started to run up to the man, keeping up the pressure of bullets while the man's aura started to flare wildly. He was about to grab onto the neck of the girl like he usually did, though she merely jumped up into the air and landed on the head of the man.

While she did this, Yatsuhashi could feel his leader place something on his back before she landed on the ground. The girl merely retracted her weapon and pressed some sort of detonator that she had in her bag.

Suddenly, Yatsuhashi could feel an explosion go off from on his back, sending him flying a few feet while the buzzer went off in order to signal everyone that his aura had reached critical levels.

Once the sound echoed throughout the area, the rest of the team made their way over towards their teammates to see how they were faring after the fight. Coco walked over to the giant with her hand stretched outwards. "Not bad, big guy. You've been getting faster." She commented once the man grasped her hand in order to stand up.

"Thank you, my friend. Though your skills as a leader have proven greater than my ability to fight." He said as he towered above her with his usual stoic expression.

"You two didn't break anything, did you?" Velvet asked with a curious expression.

"I appreciate your concern, Velvet. Though neither Coco or I have sustained any injuries during the battle." He said.

"Don't worry, we're fine. I mean, we did take down one of the world's most dangerous monsters, I think we can handle a little sparring match." She said with her voice oozing with confidence.

"You still going on about that?" Fox asked with one of his eyebrows raised.

"It was our first month at Beacon, and we kicked it off by going to some remote town and killing a now extinct race of monsters." She said as she took out the pair of sunglasses that she usually wears. "Besides, people still talk to us about that day," Coco said as she turned her head towards the Archeologist.

"So, how did we do? Not to bad for first years, right?" She asked, though the only sight she was greeted with was of the woman writing something down in her journal.

"Hey!" She called over, causing the Huntress to perk her head up to greet the two.

"Oh, the fights over," Mary said before she closed her book and placed it into one of her belt pouches. She stood up from where she was sitting with the same tired and uninterested expression she always wore.

"Were you even watching us?" The leader of the group asked with a rather irritated tone of voice.

"You asked for supervision, to make sure none of you needed to go the infirmary. You didn't ask for an audience." She said.

Though before any of them could counter her, the sound of footsteps coming from the stands, as well as the tone of a familiar man caused them to turn their heads around to face the individual in question.

"Well, I for one enjoyed the show you all put on." The voice of the headmaster himself said as he walked down the steps with his cane in his hand.

"Oh! Good afternoon, Professor Ozpin! Sorry if we disturbed you with our battle!" Velvet said with a bow.

"Nonsense, I merely wish to see how the students of this fine establishment are fairing on this day." He said to the group, causing them to look at him with rather confused expressions.

"What do you mean?" Velvet asked.

"How are all of you doing? I would like to know the state of the teams that are training under our banner in hopes to get a better understanding of them. To see what they have managed to accomplish in the past two months." He said. "Don't think I haven't heard stories of Team CFVY. You all have been quite the subject of conversation ever since word got around of your involvement in the Battle for York." He said.

"Oh, well we're just looking for ways to improve on our teamwork. That last battle against that monster was pretty intense, though it did bring us closer together." Velvet said.

"That's right. I wasn't about to let these two run head first into combat on their own." Coco said as she grabbed the shoulder of the rabbit girl in question.

"Good to hear. Though do try to be more careful before you go rushing into danger. You are my students, and it is my responsibility to ensure you have the proper tools needed in order to face the harsh realities that lay beyond our walls." Ozpin said.

The group nodded towards the headmaster before going about their business as students. Once he was certain that the group had left, he started to make his way over towards the Archeologist.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Naturae." Ozpin greeted, though the woman merely continued to jot notes down in her book.

"Ozpin." She simply said without breaking her eyes from the pages.

"It's been quite the eventful semester, hasn't it? There are quite a number of bright students here. Perhaps one day they will grow up to become the protectors that this world needs in these troubled times." He said.

"That right?" She asked.

"Only time will tell. Though enough of that, the current CEO of the Schnee Dust Company has sent out requests to all of the Four Kingdoms to make their way out to the frozen tundras of Solitas in order guard the theater where the ball will be held." Ozpin explained, though even with this new information, Mary didn't seem to be particularly interested.

"Right." She said.

"The White Fang will surely attempt to assassinate the current owner of the company, as well as his heiress, Weiss Schnee. This is an opportunity that does not come very often." He said.

"I've figured," Mary said while she continued to write down entries in her journal.

"Though another opportunity arises from the shadows. Perhaps this could be a learning experience, one to test the strength of one's combat prowess?" He said with one of his eyebrows raised, causing the Archeologist to stop writing down her current entry.

"...You want me to take the kid out there?" She asked him as she closed the journal she had on her person.

However, the man didn't respond to the question that was asked of him. The man merely turned around to face the exit of the arena. "The ball will be held within the coming month. Make sure you are prepared for when that day comes." He said before the headmaster began to walk out of the room.

The Archeologist sighed while rubbing the temples of her eyes with her right hand. She took out another cigarette from within her pocket before she placed it into her mouth and lit it in hopes to calm her nerves. She collected her bearings and decided to head back to her office in order to think upon this sudden revaluation.

Little did either of them know that from within the shadows, someone had listened in on the conversation those two were having. With this new found information, the figure made their way down the hallway in order to plan for their next move.

 _ **...**_

I continued to make my way through the crowd of people in order to get to the town plaza in hopes to meet the girl I had just recently met there. The area in question was quite open with the festival over.

People could be seen sitting on some of the benches that were scattered throughout the area, while some people could be seen fishing by the nearby pond. It took me a few moments to locate the girl, though my eyes eventually settled by the bride above the pond.

The small girl could be seen resting her chin on the stone structure with a rather curious expression on her face. I scratched my chin for a few moments before I started to make my way over towards the girl.

"You know, I can't exactly take you to where your friend is if you keep wandering off like that," I said with my arms crossed, causing her to yelp in surprise as she fell down onto the stone floor.

"Ouch." She said once she got up from off the floor. "Sorry, though this place is just so strange to me. I've never really been to a place this huge before." Iris said as she took in the scenery around her.

"I take it you didn't really grow up around large cities," I said to her before she jumped up onto the railings in order to sit down.

"No, I usually grew up in small towns here and there. I did a lot of moving around until I eventually found a new home." She said as her eyes began to trail the various types of fish that were swimming in the water.

"What happened to your old one?" I asked with a curious expression, though the sight of her smile turning into a saddened frown quickly gave me the answers that I needed to hear. "Oh, sorry to hear," I said before I lowered my head to look at my reflection in the water. I decided that it would have been for the better if I didn't to press the subject any further, as it was clear that this wasn't a conversation she wanted to have.

"Try not to wander off again," I said once I turned my head towards her, though sure enough, she was nowhere to be seen once again.

Fortunately, she only made her way over towards the tree's that could be seen on the other side of the pond. She was kneeling down to face some of the ducks that were standing in front of her with rather curious expressions.

I began to make my way over towards the other side of the pond, though the sound of a gun cocking from directly behind me quickly stopped me in my tracks. "Don't you move." I heard someone say as he pressed something up against my backside.

"Come on. Move it." He said before pushing me across the bride, causing me to swear from underneath my breath. The strange individual eventually led me to the lower parts of the bridge where four more thugs were waiting.

"Something you fella's need?" I asked as I turned around to face the man who had led me down here. He was a dark-skinned man with some sort of blue bandana wrapped around his face.

The rest of them had similar looking outfits, though the only one who actually managed to cover up his eyes was the one with a silenced rifle at his side. They were all wearing similar looking blue outfits with various kinds of weapons at their disposal.

"You have something. Something of value on your person." The large man with a shotgun said as he pointed the barrel of the gun towards my coat pocket.

"Ah, I get it. You want my wallet, right? Well, you're not going to get much out of it, I'm pretty broke at the moment." I said once I got my wallet out, though the more scrawny individual merely walked up to me with his pistol in his hand.

"Quit messing with us! We don't want your money!" He said.

"You don't?" I asked with one of my eyebrows raised.

"No! Well, technically yes, we don't want your money. Though what we do want is that valuable looking relic in your pocket!" He said to me, though before I continue to speak to the group of thugs, the leader of the group smacked the man with the pistol across the head.

"Gah! The hell?!" He asked.

"Keep your voice down, will you?! We're trying to be discreet here!" He said to the member of the group, sparking an argument between the two. I attempted to use this opportunity to silently wander away from the group while they were bickering amongst themselves, though I was quickly stopped by the large man with the shotgun in his hands.

"We are not done talking." He said before shoving me back over towards the group.

"Enough of this." The leader said as he pointed his submachine gun at me with a rather annoyed look in his eyes. "You know what we want, you give it to us and you can walk away from all of this." He said.

I was about to counter his offer, though an idea suddenly sparked from within my head. One that could possibly get me out of the situation that I found myself in at the moment.

"Okay," I responded before reaching into my pocket in order to grab the relic in question. The members of the group were rather surprised at my response, though the leader regained his composure rather quickly.

"Cooperation. People could learn a thing or two from you." He said while reaching his hand out in order to grab the object from my hand. He kept the barrel of his weapon on me, clearly preparing for any kind of situation that may arise from this exchange.

Though before he could grab it from the palm of my hand, the masked man with the rifle quickly shot his arm up in order to stop the exchange. "Hold on." He said, causing the leader to turn his head over to face the man.

"Do you hear that?" He asked, though before any of them could respond, the young girl that was by the pond ran up behind the large man and latched onto the back of his head while rapidly pounding her fists onto the top of his head.

"What the hell?!" The scrawny man with a pistol yelled as the group scrambled to get ahold of the situation once again. Using this opportunity, I clenched my fist and slammed it into the stomach of the leader of the group, causing Shade to use the full force of his strength to send him flying across the pond.

Surprisingly, the girl knew her way around a fight as she had slammed the head of the large man up against the stone wall, knocking him out in the process. With only three members of the group left, I ran over to the small man wearing sunglasses in order to ram the elbow of Shade up against the torso of the thug.

The scrawny man pointed his pistol in my direction while putting his finger on the trigger. He had managed to fire a couple of shots in my direction, though Shade subconsciously blocked both of them.

Still taken by surprise by the sudden figure in black, he failed to react to the spirit grasping onto his neck before he proceeded to punch him towards the other side of the bridge, causing the wall to crack slightly once he came into contact with it. Even I was taken aback by the sudden assault by the spirit, though as per usual, he disappeared as quickly as he came.

"Whoa," Iris said as she stood on top of the unconscious man with wonder in her eyes. "How did you do that? Who was that strange person?" She asked while running up to me in a curious manner.

"I could ask you the same thing. It's not every day you see a kid your age topple two fully grown men without breaking a sweat. How old are you anyway?" I asked once I brushed the sweat off of my forehead.

"Oh, I dunno." She simply said.

"..." A faint breeze blew past us, picking up some of the dead leaves that had formed on the trees. Every fiber of my being just wanted to question her, though every fiber in question knew that she would have responded the same way she always did.

"Right." I managed to push out, fighting off the feeling of frustration back as best I could. Though before she could continue to question me about the spirit that she had seen, we could hear the sounds of sirens coming from the distance.

"What's that noise?" She asked while darting her head around the plaza. Though I was all too familiar with that sound, though not in a good way. I started to panic once I heard the sound of the police sirens coming from the distance.

"It's the cops! Come on, we have to get out of here before they knew we're here!" I said, though she merely tilted her head and raised one of her fingers with a curious expression on her face. "No, I am not telling who the cops are! Just run!" I yelled as I ran past her, causing the girl to follow close behind me while the dirt started to pick up around our feet.

The police had managed to apprehend a few of the individuals who had been seen during the event, as many of the citizens who were within the area heard the commotion from below the bridge.

However, one of the members of the group had managed to avoid detection from the police. The one who led the group throughout the encounter had managed to hide from the authorities from the other nearby buildings that surrounded the plaza.

Once the police had left the area with the other members of his group, he let out a sigh of relief before planning what he would do next. Though before he could do anything, the sound of someone's voice could be heard from behind him.

"You know, for the leader of some ragtag team of thugs you sure know how to hide." He heard the voice say, causing him to point his submachine gun at the source of the noise. "Whoa, easy there big guy. You just got away from the cops after all." The boy said as he pushed the barrel of the gun away from his face.

The boy in question had messy gray hair with eyes to compliment the color of his hair. He wore light armor with some sort of sash wrapped around his waist, though the pants he wore easily covered up the fact that his legs were prosthetic ones, specifically designed to aid him in combat.

His name was Mercury Black.

"What are you doing here?" The leader of the group growled as he put down his gun.

"As a matter of fact, we were looking for you and the rest of your group. You left your post down at the commercial district." Mercury said with his arms crossed as he leaned up against the wall.

"We?" He asked, though the sound of footsteps coming from the end of the alleyway he was hiding quickly cut him off. Once the figure stepped into the light, he could see a young dark-skinned woman with green hair and red eyes, as well as a pair of two pistols that were holstered behind her waist.

The name of this girl was Emerald Sustrai.

"So what are you even doing out here, to begin with?" The girl asked in a rather annoyed tone.

"We were just dealing with some trouble we ran into. Things went wrong and now most of my men have been apprehended." The leader of the group explained before holstering his weapon.

"Is that right? Well, I suppose we could lend you a little helping hand. I have been meaning to test out some new modifications I made with my legs." Mercury said as he started to loosen up his shoulders, though before he could even leave the alleyway, Emerald quickly placed her hand on his shoulder in order to stop him.

"No, we were told we needed to lay low. Going out and killing someone is the exact opposite of laying low." Emerald said to her partner.

"Relax Em, I won't kill them. All I need to do is test out a few functions here and there, no need to put them six feet under, at least not yet." The assassin said with a smirk, though his partner didn't seem convinced.

"Yeah, good idea, let's leave them alive so they can draw more attention to us." She said sarcastically, causing the boy to swear under his breath. He kicked a nearby rock across the street, reluctantly agreeing with the points that the girl was making.

"Fine, let's just get this guy back to his boss," Mercury growled as he lightly pushed the leader of the group in question. "Come on, we don't have all day here." He said to the man before him.

"Damn, the boss isn't gonna be happy that some of our men are behind bars. Especially considering we're coming empty handed." He muttered to himself, though neither of them paid too much attention to it. "That was one hell of a score to, that artifact looked real valuable." He said, grabbing the attention of the green haired girl.

"Artifact?" She asked as she turned her head to face the leader of the group. "What do you mean?" The thief questioned.

"Well, this guy had an artifact on him that looked very valuable. One that you usually don't see in museums of exhibits, it looked like it was one of a kind. He clearly didn't want people to know he had it, as he went into one of the alleyways of the city to prevent people from catching a glance." He explained.

"One of a kind you say," Emerald said with a smirk. "You didn't happen to see what this guy looked like, did you?" She asked.

"Hey, what happened to keep a low profile?" Mercury asked in a rather frustrated tone of voice.

"We will. All we have to do is find this guy and take this thing off of his hands before he even notices it's gone." The thief explained. "Sometimes stealing something requires a more subtle approach."

The assassin was still rather irritated at the thief's sudden change in attitude, though he decided to follow the plan that his partner had laid out before him. "Fine." He growled before he turned towards the man with his arms crossed.

"Trust us, we know what we're doing. Once we get this relic we'll split the money we get off of it three ways." Emerald said.

"...Alright, though this isn't just some normal guy. He's strong, deceptively strong, he punched me across the pond without putting too much effort into it." He explained to the two.

"Is that right? Well, now I want to meet the guy now more than ever." Mercury said with a chuckle.

"Mercury," Emerald warned.

"I know, I know. I'm just making commentary." He said. "So what did this guy look like?" The assassin questioned the leader of the group with the expression he usually had on his face.

"Well..." He said as he rubbed his chin in order to think back on the whole encounter that happened mere moments ago. "I'm pretty sure he had black hair." The man explained.

"You're pretty sure?" Emerald asked before she squinted her eyes in the direction of her partner.

"It was hard to tell, he had some sort of hat on. Like the ones you would see on some of the grunts in some of the districts." He said.

"You mean a flat cap?" She asked as some sort of strange sound rang through the leader's ears. He looked around to search for the source of the noise, though he dismissed it soon after before turning back towards the duo.

"Is that what they're called?" He asked, though he quickly noticed that Mercury was wearing the exact same cap that she had just mentioned. "Where did you get that?" The leader asked before pointing at the boy's head.

"Get what?" He asked.

"That hat. I didn't see you have it earlier." The leader said, though this only further confused the boy in question. "Quit messing with me! I mean the hat right-!" Though he was quickly cut off once his hand went right through the hat of the boy.

"What the hell?!" He asked before he attempted to grab the hat once again. The thief only chuckled to herself as she saw the man grab at the nonexistent hat, causing the irritation of the assassin to rise.

"Emerald," Mercury growled.

"Calm down, it's my semblance. It allows me to create individual illusions. Did you hear a strange sound once you told me about the hat that this person was wearing?" She asked, causing the man to nod in response. "Well, that's usually a sign that you're seeing one of my illusions. I'm altering your perception of my partner here in order to fit the description of the man who assaulted you."

"That would have been nice to know before you made me question my own sanity." The leader said.

"I suppose so. Anyways, what else did you notice about this guy?" She asked once she turned back towards her partner.

The man proceeded to describe the boy that he had recently attempted to rob, each detail further straining the head of Emerald in order to get the best description she could possibly get. Once the description was finished, Emerald could be seen pressing her hand up against her forehead due to the headache that was starting to form due to the overuse of her semblance.

"How's this?" She asked while the man stood before the illusion of the boy she had created. While it was accurate when it came to the attire he was wearing, it fell short when it came to body type and height.

"Why is he so buff?" The leader questioned.

"You said he threw you across the pond. What was I supposed to think?" She growled. "So mind giving me more details so we actually know what this guy looks like?" She requested.

"Well, he was much leaner then you're making him out to be. He was also shorter, much shorter." He said, causing Emerald to alter her description of the boy.

"How's this?" The thief asked.

"Little more in both departments." The leader said as the green haired girl looked at him with a rather confused expression. She merely shook her head and altered the illusion once again.

"How about now?"

"Little more. He's shorter than you." He said, causing both of the teens to stare at the man with rather perplexed looks.

"You're kidding." She said as her eye began to twitch.

"I wish I was. Though it's like I said, the boy was deceptively strong." He said with a hint of wounded pride in his voice. The thief altered her illusion once again, now fitting the general description of the boy.

"Stop right there. That's the guy." He said, causing Emerald to let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally, that took longer then I thought it would. So who exactly are we dealing with here?" Mercury asked, causing his partner to snap her fingers in order for her to take on the appearance of the boy.

"...This is the guy?" He asked while pointing his finger at the illusion she made.

"No, I'm just showing you this description as a joke. Of course, this is the guy." She said, her feminine voice coming out of the masculine looking illusion.

"How in the hell did a scrawny kid get the jump on a group of thugs?" Mercury asked, directing the question at his partner and the leader of the group that had just recently been taken in by the police.

"Yeah, I'd like to know the same thing." She said as she changed back into her usual appearance.

"..." The man merely closed his eyes, contemplating on whether or not he should tell them about the outrageous series of events that had recently transpired. "It's insane. To be honest, I'm not sure if I was just seeing things or if it actually happened." He said.

"We're used to insane," Mercury said, causing Emerald to hit her partner in the arm. "Ow." He said as he rubbed the area where he was hit.

"Just tell us what happened." She demanded.

"...Okay, here's how it all went down." He said reluctantly as he proceeded to tell them of what had just happened. "Then we heard this battle cry, then all of a sudden I saw this strange black figure appear out of nowhere. I didn't even have time to get a good look at it before it knocked me out." The leader said.

"A black figure?" Emerald asked.

"Yeah, it was huge, must have been at least eight feet tall. It looked like it had some armor on, and it had these white eerie eyes, almost like something you'd see out of a horror film." He said.

"..." The two merely stared at the leader in relative silence in response to the man's story.

"It's like I said, it's insane. I'm still not sure if I was just seeing things or not." He said while he rubbed his temples with his hand.

"You're certain that this was what he looked like," Emerald asked.

"There's no mistaking it. I never forget a face, especially someone like him." The leader said.

"Alright, come on Mercury. Let's go find this guy before the sun sets." She said as she started to walk out from the alleyway they were hiding in. The assassin nodded and began to follow her, leaving the leader to fend for himself.

"This guy sure sounds interesting," Mercury said with a smirk.

"I suppose that's one way to describe it," Emerald said. "I wonder what he meant when it described that strange figure from before." She said before she pinched her chin in order to think back on the man's story.

"Only one way to find out." The assassin said as he started to walk ahead of Emerald. The thief sighed to herself while she rubbed her forehead, the headache from before still lingering.

 _ **...**_

The two of us continued to run through the commercial district in hopes to lose the police. Once I was certain that we weren't being followed, we stopped by a nearby tree from within the residential district of the city. I placed my hands on my knees as I breathed heavily, sweat dripping down my forehead and onto the ground beneath me.

However, the girl next to me seemed to be perfectly fine. She even had enough strength in her body to climb the tree that we were currently resting under. Once I caught my breath, I turned my head towards the girl in question to see that she was chowing down on one of the apples that had been hanging on a nearby branch.

"Not bad." She said with a smile before proceeding to consume the rest of the apple that was resting from within her hand.

"You are one strange kid, you know that?" I asked while wiping the last few drops of sweat from my forehead. "So where did you learn to fight?" I questioned while staring up at the apple tree.

"The one who's looking after me did." She explained while she chewed the rest of the apple.

"That right?" I asked once I dusted myself off.

"Yeah! He's super strong! He's like a giant!" Iris said as she jumped off of the tree branch and onto the ground below her.

"We shouldn't be far from the Emerald Forest now. You said he was by the cliffside right?" I asked the girl in question.

"That's right! He said that he couldn't really be seen in Vale for some reason. Told me that people would be looking for him." She said.

"Looking for him?" I questioned the strange choice of words that were used by the young girl.

"Yeah, I didn't really get it either. He said that some people from long ago were searching for him." She explained as my suspicion for this man started to grow.

"Did he say why these people were looking for him?" I asked while clenching my first.

"Hmm, he said that he did some bad things. Though I know he had a reason to do them." Iris said with a smile. "Trust me, he's a softy behind all that rough and gruff." She explained.

"...I'll take your word for it," I said while turning my head away from her. In all seriousness, I was rather suspicious as to who this person was, though there could be more to this situation underneath the surface.

I didn't have enough information to get a decent grasp on the whole ordeal. "Let's get going, the sun should be setting soon. We shouldn't be wandering around in the forest while it's dark." I explained.

"Got it." She said while stretching her arms out. Once we got situated, we continued our walk towards the Emerald Forest. The rest of the trip was rather quiet for the most part, the only trouble I really ran into was the young girl's curiosity almost getting the best of her. The gate leading to the outside of the Kingdom and towards the Emerald Forest was in sight now.

"Who's that guy?" Iris asked while she pointed at the statue of the late King of Vale.

"Oh, that's Arthur. He was the last King of Vale to rule after the Great War ended." I explained. "There were other kings before him, all of them played their part in building this city. They built the walls you see around the Kingdom to keep the monsters out and the people safe." I said.

"City people are no fun." The young girl commented as she started to walk away from the statue. Though before we could continue to make our way towards the walls of the Kingdom, my blood froze once my eyes settled on two individuals from within the crowd.

While I've never met them per se, they were all too familiar to me. Right in front of my field of vision stood the two right-hand men of the one responsible for the eventual downfall of the Kingdom of Vale.

The Assassin Mercury Black, and The Thief Emerald Sustrai. I had suspected that they would be in the city around this time, though I didn't actually believe that I would encounter the duo.

Why they were there was still a mystery to me, though a couple of possibilities came to mind. It's likely that the member of the group that Shade had punched into the water may have escaped before the authorities arrived. Going off what I know, this man probably reported back to one of the heads of the criminal underworld in Vale, Roman Torcwick, or some other crime boss that I'm unaware of.

Though the fact still stands that the current Fall Maiden, Cinder Fall probably has a certain level of control over these gangs, as she was able to manipulate the likes of Roman Torchwick and the leader of the Vale district of the White Fang, Adam Taurus rather easily.

So if that's the case, then these two also probably have some authority over the members of the gangs. The leader most likely told them of the encounter that had just occurred, as well as the existence of the Relic in my possession.

Now they're both here to take the artifact off of my hands, whether it be through subtle means or more direct means will be entirely dependent on how I handle this situation.

Though there is the possibility that this is all just some huge coincidence, though the sight of Mercury and Emerald searching around the area with rather cautious expressions on their faces told me differently.

I had to come up with a plan to shake these two off of my trail, as there was no way that I would be able to face either one of them in combat, let alone both of them at the same time.

"Hey," I said, causing the strange girl to stare up at me with a look of curiosity. "We might have to split up for the time being. I want you to head over towards the walls, you'll see a giant hole. Meet me there, I have something I need to take care of." I said as I started to walk away from the young girl before she could question my sudden caution.

I continued to make my way through the crowd in hopes that I would eventually shake them off of my trail, though each time I turned around I could see the duo from within the sea of people. This continued for a few moments until I eventually attempted to lose them from within a nearby alleyway, though once I did I heard some sort of strange noise.

Though right now I couldn't focus on that, right now I needed to get away from the duo and my way over towards the west gate. I poked my head from around the corner to see if the duo had still been following me, though fortunately, they seemed to have lost the trail that they originally had.

I let out a sigh of relief and proceeded to plan a new route to take in hopes to meet the temporary companion I made over at the gates I had originally told her to go to. Going out in the open wasn't exactly a good idea at the moment, so perhaps I could use these alleyways to shake them off of my trail.

With this new plan in mind, I proceeded to make my way through this escape route. It wasn't too difficult to navigate through, as the layout wasn't nearly as complex as the ones in the industrial and commercial district.

However, once I made my way through a doorway leading to the other side of the wall that was in front of me, I suddenly appeared at some sort of balcony. I did a quick double take before I turned back towards the door.

Though once I opened the door in question, the only thing I could see was some sort of staircase that led down. I closed the door and quickly ran over towards the railings to see how high up I was.

From the looks of it, I had to be at least three or four stories up, as I could see most of the residential district from up here. The view was rather nice all things considered, though this pleasant moment was quickly cut off once by the sound of a voice coming from behind me.

"Nice view, isn't it?" The voice of the assassin said as he stood next to me. It was rather difficult to keep my composure in a situation like this, though the last thing I needed was for him to suspect that I knew more about him than he originally thought.

"Yeah, you can see most of the district from up here," I commented.

"Can't beat a sight like this." The boy said before he turned his head over towards me with his hand reached outwards. "The name's Mercury." He said with the usual smirk he had on his face.

"Brandon," I responded as I shook his hand with a tight grip. I let out a silent sigh of relief once he let go, as I wasn't exactly keen to be in the situation that I was in at the moment.

"So what brings you out here?" The assassin asked.

"Just taking in the view," I responded.

"Fair enough. Quick question for ya, you didn't happen to run into any suspicious people on your way here." He asked once he turned his head in my direction, causing me to tense up a bit.

"Suspicious how?" I questioned with a rather serious expression on my face.

"Well, I heard that there were some pretty low profile gangs around here. They tend to stay close to the ground, though sometimes they'll go after a serious score here and there." He explained.

"I might have heard a thing or two. Though I haven't heard anything too serious." I said in response to his warning. "Why do you ask?" I questioned with a cautious look plastered on my head.

"Just curious is all. I'm in the mercenary business, so sometimes I get a job where I have to escort someone to some important, top secret place." Mercury said as he patted me on the back.

"Oh, so you're a mercenary too?" I asked him with genuine curiosity. "I just started taking jobs a couple of months ago, decided to come to Vale for more opportunity," I explained.

"That right? Well, I guess that's no surprise. Vale has the largest territory out of all the four Kingdoms, or at least the largest territory that isn't just one giant death trap like Vacuo is." He said.

I began to question him about what that meant exactly, though before words could even leave my mouth, Shade suddenly appeared from behind me in order to slam the back of his fist into the thief that had been sneaking up on me.

Before Mercury had time to react to what had just happened, I grabbed the back of his head and slammed it up against the metal railing while Emerald fell down towards one of the alleyways.

With Mercury in a daze, I used this opportunity to attempt to make my way towards the exit of the balcony in hopes to escape the situation, though just as I reached the door, a large ball of energy shot straight past me before it landed on the front of the door, jamming it in the process.

"Tch, I'll admit, you caught me off guard there. Though don't think you'll get another chance like that again." Mercury growled as he got into his combat position in order to prepare for the fight.

I internally swore to myself, there was nowhere else to run at this point. There's no way I would survive a fall from this height, and even if I managed to pry this door open to escape, Emerald is still down there.

There was no other option, I needed to fight, though the only thing I had with me was the strength of Shade. My sword is still back at the house where I left it, though for now, the spirit's strength will have to do.

"Looks like we're doing it my way. Good old fashioned hand to hand." The assassin said with a smirk, though from within his mind, he was having trouble coming up with a strategy to defeat the opponent in front of him.

 _"I didn't even see the attack that sent Emerald flying. How did he even know she was there, to begin with?"_ He asked himself while both combatants circled one another, waiting for the other to make their move. _"The illusion worked the first time when we saw him go down the alleyway, so how come it didn't work this time?"_

There were a lot of questions going through the mind of the assassin, though none of them seemed to have a clear answer. _"Tch, I can worry about that later. I need to focus on the fight right now."_ He thought as he slowly started to make his way over towards the boy in front of him.

At the moment, the assassin was pretty serious about the battle right now, though I suppose that's only natural considering the situation that he's in at the moment. He continued to walk over towards me, though as soon as he was only ten teen feet away from where I was standing, I charged forwards.

There was no turning back now, the only way I was walking out of this situation is through combat. Mercury stopped dead in his tracks and prepared to counter whatever attack I was about to throw at him.

I reeled my right fist back in order to throw a punch at the man, this, in turn, caused him to slightly move his left foot forward. He was about to kick my hand away with his metal foot, though I quickly manifested Shade into my right fist before he could. Using his immense speed, the spirit slammed his fist onto the nose of the boy, causing him to go flying a few feet.

The assassin snarled before he used the railings that surrounded the balcony to propel himself forwards, using some of the modifications he made to his legs to give him an extra boost in speed. He attempted to kick me with his right leg, though I had just narrowly dodged the attack while he landed on the ground, the metal of his legs scraping against the stone floor.

Just as he had landed, he fired a white ball from one of his legs, though I quickly dove towards the stone floor in order to dodge the oncoming attack. The white ball went flying towards the building next to us before exploding, leaving visible damage to the structure.

Mercury charged towards me with a serious expression on his face before he slid on the ground in hopes to make an opportunity for him to attack. In turn, I jumped up into the air in hopes to dodge it, though this was exactly what the assassin wanted me to do. He quickly placed his hand onto the ground and got into a one-armed handstand, using the momentum he had to slam his right leg into my back.

The assassin got back on his feet before he fired yet another blast towards my direction, though I had just managed to land on the ground in the nick of time in order to roll out of the way. More stones went flying into the air, though neither combatant particularly minded the falling stones as they watched each one prepare for the next phase of the battle.

He could feel the strain on his metallic knee's, as he wasn't exactly used to the pressure that came with these new modifications. The assassin fired yet another blast, though rather than using it to get the advantage when it came to damage, he used it as a smokescreen. Mercury jumped through the smoke and sent another kick towards me, only this time I used Shade's armor to block the attack.

There wasn't a whole time to react as he kicked me in the side of my stomach before he twirled around and slammed it into the back of my knee, causing me to fall onto the ground below. The assassin shot two more white balls at me, though I jumped out of the way of the first one before rolling onto the ground in order to dodge the second one.

As if on cue, Emerald kicked down the jammed door that led towards the staircase. Before she could even question what was happening, the mere sight of the fight caused her to let out an annoyed sigh in response to her plan clearly going wrong in every way possible.

She aimed her weapon at me and pulled the trigger, though before I could have the spirit block the oncoming bullet, Mercury sent out yet another white blast. An idea suddenly sparked from within my head.

Acting quickly, I used the force of the spirit to grab the blast before I jumped up into the air and slammed it onto the ground, creating a smokescreen that blinded both combatants.

Mercury growled and swung his leg at full force, causing the smoke to clear rather quickly. Though it was too late, I had already made my way over towards the exit that the thief had made for me.

I heard the assassin swear towards his partner as I made my way down the stairs. Once I reached the bottom, I kicked open the backdoor leading to the alleyway in order to make my escape.

Though just as I had thought I had managed to shake them off of my trail, the sound of scraping metal quickly brought me back to reality. I looked up to see Mercury making his way down towards the alleyway, though I did have a window of one of two seconds to get ahead of him. Once he landed on the ground below, he wasted no time firing white blasts over in my direction, though due to the small space we were in, the blasts merely landed on the walls, causing small stones to go flying in the air.

"Idiot! Stop using your damn weapons! You're gonna bring the whole building down on us!" She hissed to her partner. From the looks of it, the assassin was at a severe disadvantage by being in this alleyway.

I couldn't waste this opportunity, the environment was in my favor right now. Once I dusted myself off, I rushed towards the duo with an expression I hadn't used for quite some time.

Though before I could close the gap between us, the sound from before rang through my ears once again. I stopped dead in my tracks once Emerald and Mercury started to blink in and out of my sight.

I internally swore to myself once I figured out that I was under one of the thief's illusions, though just like before, the Spirit had managed to strike at the assassin. From the looks of it, Shade wasn't affected by Emerald's illusions.

"Gah! Damn it!" Mercury cursed as he rubbed his jawbone with his right hand. Though Emerald stared at me with a rather alarmed expression on her face, her eyes staring at me while I stood in my combat position.

Mercury growled as he sent a glare over in my direction, as it was clear that this fight wasn't going in his favor. Though there was also a hint of satisfaction in the smirk that he had, perhaps it's been a while since he had an actual challenge.

"I have an idea," Emerald said as she holstered her weapons, causing both the assassin and me to stare at her with a rather confused expression. "Look, we don't have to fight. All we want is that relic you have in your pocket, give us that and we'll let you go." She said with a serious expression.

"Oh yeah? How do I know you're not gonna double cross me the second I hand it over?" I asked with a glare.

"We know that we didn't exactly get off on the right foot. Though all you have to do is just give it to us, you'll never see us again." Emerald said as she reached for her weapons, though before I could counter, she took them out and threw them onto the ground. "You don't have to do this." She said.

"..." I merely stood there in silence as I thought on the offer that was given to me by the thief. Though after a few moments of time to myself, I stared at her with an expression I didn't think I'd ever use again. "No," I said, though before she could reach for her weapons, I quickly spoke up once again.

"I'll be honest, this thing has caused me more trouble then it's worth. If it were any other situation, things would have gone a lot differently." I said. "Though this isn't that kind of situation," I growled as I clenched my fist tightly.

"Fine then," Emerald growled as she rolled on the ground in order to grab her two pistols. "Though you had a chance to walk away! Everything that happens from here on out is on you!" She yelled as she pointed her weapons in my direction.

"Yeah." I simply said as the figure of Shade flared behind me for a brief second. "Right back at you." The three of us charged towards one another, looking to finish the battle that had been initiated.

With determination behind me, I swung my fist over at Emerald, though her figure merely disappeared once it made contact with her. I looked around to see multiple illusions of both Emerald and Mercury.

Though it was rather easy to tell what was an illusion and what was part of reality. Shade didn't seem to respond to any of the attacks that were being directed at me, which made it easier to come up with some sort of plan to counter this strategy.

Suddenly, Shade appeared to strike at the real Mercury, though he quickly used his metal legs to propel himself out of the way before he slammed his foot onto the head of the Spirit, causing him to fade into dust.

Before I could counter though, the assassin disappeared once again, his chuckle echoing throughout the alleyway. My eyes darted around the dark enclosed area, though eventually, I saw a pair of Mercury's rush towards me.

I originally thought that both of them were fake, though the sight of the real assassin touching solid ground sent me into high alert. I just narrowly dodged the assault as Mercury's leg slammed into the ground, causing stones to go flying into the air.

There was an equal amount of surprise on the assassin's face once he saw that the Spirit didn't counter his attack like he did so many times before. He smirked before he rushed towards me with a determined look in his eyes.

At the same time, the illusions disappeared once I heard the grunt of pain coming from Emerald. He continued this assault with various kicks and jabs, to which I did my best in order to dodge each attack.

"Yah!" He shouted as he slammed his foot onto the side of my head, causing me to go crashing over towards the hard stone wall with an audible thud. My ears started to ring while my vision began to blur as I picked myself from off the ground.

"I gotta admit, you sure are one tough opponent," Mercury said while he wiped the sweat off of his forehead. "Though, I think we both know that this battle is over." He said with a smirk.

The assassin began to monolog towards me, which in turn gave me an opportunity to turn the tide of the battle. Once my vision came through to me, I grabbed a handful of dust from off of the ground.

Before another word could be spoken, I threw a handful of dust in the assassin's eyes, causing him to be temporarily blinded.

"Ah! Son of a-!" He yelled, though he was quickly cut off once I tackled him to the ground. I started to desperately punch the gray-haired boy below me while the assassin in question focused on blocking each attack.

Though once I landed the last punch, Shade suddenly appeared behind me to deliver a devastating blow.

Emerald, with every ounce of strength she had left, made one more illusion. Before I could land another punch on him, the boy in question caught fire, as well as the walls and floors around me.

Mercury used this opportunity to break free from my grasp. He jumped up into the air and shot another white ball in my direction, causing it to explode once it made contact.

The two stood there in silence as they stared at the smokescreen in front of them. The assassin was out of breath, while Emerald was on the ground, clenching her head due to the sheer amount of illusions she had just created.

"Hey…" Mercury began, only for Emerald to shoot a deadly glare towards him.

"Not another word." She growled as she stood up from where he was standing. The two began to make their way towards the smokescreen, though they were quickly cut off at the sound of footsteps coming from that direction.

"Oh come on," Mercury growled once he saw the silhouette of the boy he had supposedly killed walking through the smoke.

He had taken a substantial amount of damage, though, in the end, he was still standing tall. The two got ready for another battle, though they were both surprised once the boy sighed and spoke up.

"You're right about one thing. This battle is over." I said as I began to walk towards the exit of the alleyway.

"Hold on! Where do you think you're going?!" He shouted over towards me while his legs started to make some strange noises.

"Somewhere that isn't here. I have better things to do with my time." I responded while turning my head over towards the duo.

"..." The assassin merely stood there in silence as he watched me walk off into the distance.

"I won't kill you. Not yet at least. I'll give you a chance to change. Maybe you will, maybe you won't. In the end, it doesn't really matter to me." I said as I started to walk away from the duo. "Though the next time we come to face, the time for talk will be over," I warned the two before I turned the corner, leaving them both to think upon the battle that had just occurred.

"...That is one strange fellow." Mercury commented.

"You're telling me. Come on, let's get out of here." Emerald said once she stood up and began to run down the path leading to the industrial district. The assassin stared over at the exit of the dark path before he shook his head and follows his partner.

It took me quite some time, though I eventually arrived at the western gate. I could see the young girl impatiently waiting for me by some sort of tree, though once she turned her head over in my direction, she jumped off of the branch and dashed over to my side.

"You sure took your time! I thought you had left me to fend for myself or something!" She said as she tapped her little fists against my leg.

"Sorry, I had something to take care of," I said while patting the dust off of my clothes.

"...Whoa. What happened to you?" She questioned with her head tilted to the right.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you on the way there," I said as we made our way through the western gates of Vale.

 ** _..._**

"So that's basically what happened. It was sort of a stalemate, which means that neither side really won or lost." I said as I finished telling the young girl about the battle that had just transpired while we made our way through a more safer route of the forest.

"Whoa! That sounded intense! I wish I could have been there! I'm sure that I could have taken those two on with one hand tied behind my back!" She said with a prideful smirk.

"I don't know. Those two were pretty strong." I said.

"Yeah, well I'm sure they're not as strong as my teacher! He's super strong, I bet you they wouldn't have even hurt him! Nothing seems to hurt him the more I think about it." She said.

"He sounds tough," I commented, though I was still suspicious of the man either way. People in Vale we're looking for him because he did some bad things, so I should tread lightly when it comes to how I handle this situation.

"Oh! I think I can see him now!" She said as she started to run towards the cliffside that was in the distance.

Though before I could tell her not to run off, I caught a glimpse of the man who was standing by the edge of the cliff.

I stopped dead in my tracks and my blood froze. The man stood at eight feet tall with dark skin and black hair on his head.

He was a giant, even taller and more muscular the Yatsuhashi himself. He had green clothing on, and brown pants.

I had suspected that this man had more of a story than I originally thought, though I never could have suspected this. Right in front of me was one of her lieutenants, Hazel Rainart.

"Haze!" Iris called out, causing the giant to look back at her with a smile on her face.

"Ah, hello there, little one." The man said in a rather rough tone as the young girl climbed onto the shoulder of the man. "Did you have a good time in the Kingdom of Vale?" He questioned her with a gentle smile on his face.

"I don't know. The whole place felt way too cramped for my liking. Then there were those huge walls that you can't even climb!" She said while crossing her arms.

"Well, some people wish to feel secure. To live their lives peacefully without the threat of monsters looming over them." Hazel explained to the girl.

"I suppose so. Hey, where's your sister? I was really looking forward to meeting her." The young girl questioned.

"She...She needed to be elsewhere. Though she sends her regards." Hazel said before he turned his head over in my direction, causing me to go on high alert.

"Now then, who might this young man be?" He asked as he began to walk over to me with his thunderous steps.

"Oh! This is Brandon! You see, I got seriously lost in the city and he helped me find my way back to you! We got into some pretty crazy adventures too!" She said, causing the man to stare at me with a rather suspicious expression.

"Is that so?" He asked.

"Just a couple of run-ins with some of the local gangs. Nothing too serious." I said in hopes to defuse the situation.

We continued to stare at one another in relative silence before the man eventually nodded his head. "Very well, I am glad that none of you got hurt," Hazel said. "You have my gratitude, young man. If there is anything I could do for you, then please do not hesitate to ask." He said before he started to walk through the forest.

"Now come. It's time to go home, Iris." He said, much to the dismay of the young girl.

"Aw, but I wanted to explore the rest of the city!" She said.

"Perhaps there will be another time. For now, let us go. There is work to be done." He said as the two walked off into the distance.

Once they were gone, I let out a huge sigh of relief as I sat down by a nearby tree. "What the hell have I gotten myself into?" I asked myself.

There were so many questions going through my mind right now, though at the moment I just wanted to go back to the house. I collected my thoughts and began to make my way back towards the house. It was a rather long walk, as the sun had set to make way for the night. Though I eventually arrived at the front door.

I reached into my pocket and got the key that Mary had given me out. I placed it into the lock and turned it, unlocking the door in front of me.

"Ah, you're back," Mary said suddenly. "I need to talk to you, there's a mission that I have in mind." She said.

"...Can it wait?" I asked, clearly exhausted due to everything that had transpired today.

"Not this one. It might be the most important mission yet." Mary said in hopes to grab my attention.

Luckily for her, it worked rather well considering my mood. "Fine. What do we got?" I asked while rubbing my eyes.

"Does the name Weiss Schnee seem familiar?" The Huntress asked, causing me to stop whatever action I was going in order to give her my full attention.

"...I've read a few things about her. Why do you ask?" I questioned.

"Well, a request has been sent out by the CEO of the SDC has sent out requests to the Four Kingdoms to send their best Huntsmen and Huntresses is order guard the building where the fundraiser will be held." She explained. "I thought it would be a good learning experience if you dealt with something other than monsters for a change." She proceeded to hand me the job form that was posted for the oncoming party.

"Right, though that's some pretty high security for a single fundraiser event," I commented while I continued to read the information that was on the slip of paper.

"Rightfully so, there's a rare opportunity that comes along with this event. I'm sure you know this already, though the White Fang and the SDC have never seen eye to eye." She said.

"That's one way to put it I suppose," I commented while placing the slip of paper onto the kitchen table.

"Every member of the Schnee family will be there. Even Winter Schnee, who will be in charge of security during the event." She said. "Chances like this don't occur often. General Ironwood suspects that the White Fang will attempt to assassinate all members of the company. It won't just be Vale's district. It will be every district. Every district of the White Fang will be gunning for the heads of the family."

"...So what do we need to do?" I asked with my arms crossed.

"The event is a month and a half away. We'll have to prepare for the climate of Solitas before that day." Mary said. "Though our core mission stays the same, understood?" She asked.

"Got it," I said with a thumbs up.

"Good. Now go get some rest. You look like hell." Mary commented.

I nodded in agreement as I got out of my seat and made my way over towards the stairs. Once I entered my room, I sat down on the bed with an audible thump.

Letting out a sigh, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the relic that Shade had given to me when we first met. I wasn't lying when I said that this thing gave me more trouble than it was worth, and I would have easily have handed it over if it were any other situation.

Though I needed answers, so, for now, I needed to hold onto this.

With nothing but my thoughts to occupy my time now, I placed the relic on the nightstand next to the bed and proceeded to drift off into a deep slumber.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus, another chapter of our story comes to a close. Many enemies were made on this day, though our hero gained two very powerful allies that he could possibly use in the future.**_

 _ **Our hero came across two rather familiar yet unfamiliar foes, and a rather fierce battle followed suit. Though in the end, the battle resulted in a draw, leaving both sides with more questions than answers.**_

 _ **Though that's not all, once the battle was over, one of the lieutenants of the witch from within the castle revealed himself. Though fortunately for the boy, the young girl he had assisted was friends with this man.**_

 _ **Now with his gratitude in mind, he thinks upon what to do in the near future.**_

 _ **With the fundraiser fastly approaching, our hero, alongside his trusted teacher, took it upon themselves to heed the call that the family had made. There are still many trials ahead with this oncoming ball, though strength will not be the only thing tested on that day.**_

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: One Thing**_


	10. One Thing

_**The Story so Far... After dealing with a ragtag team of misfits from one of the local gangs present from within the Commercial District, as well as fighting off two more skilled warriors that will play a rather crucial part to the events of the near future, our hero prepares for an important mission that was presented to him by his teacher.**_

 _ **In just a month and a half, the boy will set out for the cold Kingdom of Atlas in order to guard the theater where the fundraiser will be held. Though making sure things go smoothly is but an afterthought to our dear boy.**_

 _ **One of his top priorities was to ensure that the main events of the timeline are in order. This meant to ensure the safety of the one who would come to push the main story forward, the Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss Schnee.**_

 _ **The General was right about one thing, this fundraiser presented an opportunity for those who would hold a grudge against the higher-ups of the company in question.**_

 _ **Every member of the family would be there, even the specialist of the Atlas Military, Winter Schnee would be taking over as the head of security for the course of the event.**_

 _ **Stakes were set during this fundraiser, and the boy with the spirit bound to his soul would ensure that things don't go wrong. Though that is a story for another day.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **One Thing**_

It has been quite some time ever since the whole encounter that the assassin and the thief had with the boy with the spirit bound to his soul. It has been little over a month since that day, and the fundraiser was fastly approaching.

Though at the moment, there were other stories to tell before the eventual trip to the continent of Solitas. Unbeknownst to the boy, his encounter with the members of the gang from before had caused quite the stir from within the criminal underworld.

Most of the members of the gang were still behind bars from within the Vale Detainment Center, as such most of the police force had been more present from within the Commercial District.

This made it exceedingly for the members of the criminal underworld to perform the robberies that were required by the main boss of said industry. That man was known as Roman Torchwick, the most well known and respected thief of the entire criminal underworld.

Many have tried and failed to capture him, those who were lucky enough to put him behind bars would soon realize that there weren't a lot of prisons that could hold this charismatic thief.

No matter how strong the defenses or how well secure it was, there was no place that this man couldn't break into or out of. Though despite that, the man knew his way around the system that was established by the council.

You see, the local police department and the military deal with criminals such as himself, though they didn't pose too much of a threat to the state of his operations. He was always one step ahead of the police, though even he knew to stick close to the ground.

It was an unspoken rule that ran throughout the criminal underworld, even militias such as the White Fang understood and followed this rule rather diligently. Stick close to the ground, avoid drawing too much attention towards your operation.

Large scale heights were dealt with by the military, making for a rather interesting story when it comes to the reputation of the criminal group behind it. Though even Roman was only willing to go so high up on the legal ladder.

Once you got high enough, the council would have considered you a threat to the Kingdoms of the world. You would have officially been targetted by a Huntsmen or Huntress, perhaps even a group depending on the crime.

Having the attention of the Council was something people of the criminal underworld wanted to avoid at all cost. They were more than willing to deal with the police and military, though these were highly skilled fighters they were talking about.

They were specifically trained to fight foes that would pose a threat to the continued existence of mankind. Once you had their attention, there was no getting out of the situation you were in.

Which is why Roman's authority was being questioned by the fellow gangs of the Kingdom of Vale. It was only a couple of months ago, though the man has been planning some rather large scale heists that drew more attention to them then they would have liked.

However, he was remaining in control for the time being. He had only been discussing plans that involved more security than usual, though just the mere mention of these possible operations was enough to set people on edge.

At the moment, he was discussing plans with some of his higher level gang members about a plan to break the group of thugs that were arrested during their patrol over a month ago.

Vale was putting their security around the detainment center all-time high, at least until they believed that the crime within the area would eventually calm down. Though at the moment, this doesn't seem to be the case.

"I'm open to any ideas right now! These idiots have been behind bars for over a month now!" Roman said as he slammed his hand onto the large table at the center of a warehouse.

"Here's an idea. The fools do their time for going into such a situation without the proper information first. It's not like they were a high priority target for the police to begin with. Give it a couple of months, they'll be released sooner or later." One of the leaders of the district said to the man with the bowler hat.

"That's not gonna work. We're gonna need all hands on deck for any future operations." The man said to his group of leaders with a serious expression. "We're playing a high stakes game here, and I don't know about any of you, though I'd like to push the odds in our favor," Roman stated.

"You keep talking about these plans for the future. Heists that would surely the attention of the council." A large man said with his arms crossed. "Yet despite talk of these operations, you still keep us in the dark of what we will be dealing with." He said.

"I'm aware," Roman said while he lit one of the cigars that he had in his pocket. "Though I'll let you know when I figure out what we've gotten ourselves into in the first place." He said, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.

"Hold on, what do you mean by that?" A man with a pair of sunglasses asked with one of her eyebrows raised.

"We've got a new set of jobs to do. I met this employer a few months back, they came to me for a job. They're suspicious, and have a habit of leaving some of the details out of the explanations they give to yours truly." Roman said.

"Then why are we fighting for this person if we don't even know what their intentions are?!" He asked while he slammed his hand onto the table.

"Because this presents an opportunity, one that could change our way of life as we know it. We're not talking about dealing with just some parts of the district, the whole goddamn kingdom is about to get involved." Roman said to the group. "Though when I was talking with this person, I had an idea."

"This could be our biggest score yet, we could expand to other parts of the Kingdom. So, for now, we keep to our code, we stick close to the ground so that we don't draw the attention of the Council." He said.

"We keep play along with this little charade of there's, though once we get enough firepower to hold our own against whatever they can throw at us, then we'll break off the deal and set course for the border," Roman said.

"You keep referring to this employer as they." The leader to his right mentioned.

"They've been doing what they could to keep their identity a secret. Though they do need to know what's going on around these parts, so they've sent their right hands to pass on information to her. So if they don't know that we're making these plans then..." He said while twirling the cigar he had with his right hand.

"...You better know what you're doing, Torchwick." The large man said with a grunt in his tone.

"Believe me, once we pull one over on this employer, it'll be smooth sailing from here on out. New gadgets, new bases, besides, when have I ever led any of you down the wrong path?" Roman asked with a charismatic smile, though the only response he got from the group was a rather deadpanned one. "Don't answer that." He said in response to his followers.

"You said you didn't know much about this employer. Shouldn't we know what we're going up against before we initiate a plan like this?" The man with the rifle asked with a serious expression.

"Right you are. We'll need to tread carefully, gather as much information about this woman as we possibly can. Once this whole thing goes down, we'll head for the border before anyone even knows that we were involved." Roman said to the group, though he could tell that the leaders of the gangs were still rather skeptical of this whole ordeal.

"Look, I know that this is huge. That this is larger than anything we've ever had to deal with before. Though we can't pass up this opportunity." He said to the leaders of the gangs.

"...Fine, we'll play along for now." The man with the rifle said to the man in the bowler hat, though before he could respond he was interrupted by the man in question. "Though the second we grab the attention of Council, we're heading for the border, with or without you." He said while he started to walk out of the warehouse with the sniper on his back.

The other two gang leaders nodded in agreement before following the man out of the large building, the large doors making an audible thud once they closed. With a frustrated sigh, the thief took out another cigar and lit it with the lighter he had in his pocket. The sound of footsteps could be heard from behind him, though he didn't seem to be alarmed at the sudden sound.

"You know, it's not polite to eavesdrop on other people's conversations." He said with a chuckle as a small, pink and brown haired woman appeared suddenly at the side of the table with a frown.

This woman was known as Neopolitan, or Neo as most people call her, Roman's right hand. Though she isn't as well known when compared to her partner in crime, as she tends to keep to the shadows more so then he does. It was a rather unusual pair, as the two were completely opposite from one another.

Roman was always known for putting on a show while his partner wanted to remain out of sight and out of mind. The man always ran his mouth while his partner wasn't physically unable to speak due to her being mute.

He liked an up close and personal way of doing things while his partner tended to strike once she was certain that the enemy wasn't around anymore. The man in the bowler hat was a natural born leader, though she was a lone wolf, only choosing to fight by the man's side.

The two were night and day compared to one another, and yet somehow they were able to climb to the top of the criminal underworld together. However, the two did have their fair share of arguments of how each individual goes about keeping their status.

Before the man could speak, the small woman started to wave various hand signals towards him, as this was one of her ways of communicating with people. _"This plan isn't going to work."_ She said to her partner.

"You're faith in me is astounding." He said dryly with the cigar in his mouth while his partner started to wave her hands around once again.

 _"We had a way we did things. We all did. Stick close to the ground and avoid the attention of the Council. What you're doing is the complete opposite of what we stand for."_ The girl said with a serious expression.

"Hey, these aren't my plans. I'm just following orders given to me by our new employer." Roman defended.

 _"That's not the point! We're still wrapped up in the plans of some stranger that we've never met! Don't you think it's a little suspicious that this person sent their henchmen to talk with us about this deal?!"_ She said.

"Of course it's suspicious! Everything about this whole ordeal is suspicious!" Roman argued back to his partner. "Though this is an opportunity of a lifetime! This could be our biggest score yet!"

 _"So you're trusting the words of some faceless person?! What happens when the Huntsmen start to get involved, once that happens every leader will try to get out of this situation!"_ She said.

"It's not just words, this wasn't like our usual deals. This was one was upfront with the payment." Roman said before he flipped the meeting table. The man in question took out a key from his pocket and revealed a lock that was hidden underneath the table.

Once he unlocked the strange door that was at the center of the table, he pulled out some sort of case that was hidden from within the safe. He punched in the code to said briefcase to reveal a large sum of money.

The girl narrowed her eyes and began to count how much was in the case, to begin with, though once she did that she started to examine the money to make sure it was even real in the first place.

It took her a few moments to recount the pieces of Lien that were stored from within the case, though she eventually started to wave her hands around in the air once again. _"Where did they get money like this?"_

"All they said was that it wasn't hard to come by, nor was it hard to give us further payment once we follow through with our end of the bargain," Roman said to his partner with a smirk "They say they want weapons, then we start getting as much firepower as we can possibly get." He said.

 _"How do we know that they'll keep their end of the deal, to begin with?"_ She asked.

"We don't though don't worry. This isn't the first time we've dealt with less than reputable people. So once this whole thing blows over, we take what we can get and head to the border." Roman said.

The girl was still unsure of the intentions of this new client, though she had trusted Roman for most of her life. He gave her a life when she had nothing when she was considered nothing.

So the least she could do was put her faith to the man who had given her so much. _"What do we have to do now?"_ She asked once she let out a silent sigh from her mouth.

"Right now, I need to handle getting these idiots out of prison so we can actually begin the next operation. You'll be attending to a weapons deal with the gang of the Lake District near the walls of the Industrial District of Vale alongside one of the henchmen of our client." He said.

 _"Which one?"_ She asked with one of her eyebrows raised.

"The one with the prosthetic legs. Forgot his name, though then again I never really bothered to put any effort into remembering it to begin with." Roman said while his partner rolled her eyes.

The man pulled out a slip of paper from his coat pocket, as well as a pen before he began to write some sort of address on the white surface. "Meet him at this address." He said as the woman took the slip of paper in question.

 _"What kind of weapons are we talking about here?"_ She questioned while she committed the coordinates to memory.

"Not sure, all I know is that they were imported from the Kingdom of Atlas." He answered as he took the cigar out of his mouth and used the end of his cane to put the end of it out. "Handle however you want, just make sure we actually get what we're paying for. Payment will be provided by the assassin you'll be working with." Roman said before he started to walk towards the exit of the warehouse.

"Anyways, I've got a lot on my hands as it is. Try to make sure things don't go south, we already have enough problems to deal with as it is." Roman said with the tip of his hat, causing the girl to wave her hands around once again.

 _"You're faith in me is astounding, Uncle."_ She said, causing the man to chuckle to himself as he made his way out of the warehouse, leaving the woman to plan for the weapons deal with members of the Lake District Gang.

 _ **...**_

It was a rather quiet day, all things considered, the day when I would ship out to the Kingdom of Atlas in order to guard the theater where the fundraiser was being held was fastly approaching.

Things have gotten rather serious with the constant training and missions that I was going on with the Huntress, so it was nice to have a single day to myself. At the moment, I was just sitting on one of the park benches while staring at the scenery before my eyes while chowing down on some ice cream that I purchased from a nearby vendor.

It was a rather nice day, all things considered, the birds were singing their songs as the sound of the waterfall echoed throughout the park. Moments like these were rare, even before I came to this world.

The members of the gang that had attempted to rob me from about a month and a half ago were still behind bars, and I haven't heard hide nor hair from the two henchmen of the False Maiden ever since then.

For once, I'm glad that it was looking to be a one time encounter, I'd rather not involve myself with trouble like that. Speaking of which, there hasn't been any mention of the other lieutenant that I met a while back.

Guess he must have left the city alongside that kid. I do feel bad for the future of the child, I wonder if she knows about the plan for the future of the world we live in, though all things considered I don't really know what the plan is.

It's possible that she's just ignorant to what's going on, though this world is full of surprises. She didn't have a very kind life, I gathered that much from the brief time I had with her.

Though I can worry about that later, right now let's just enjoy a rare moment of peace and quiet. It's not like it will last for very long with the fundraiser right around the corner.

However, just as I was about to take another bite of my ice cream, the sound of a familiar voice disrupted my state of peace, causing my ice cream to go flying onto the ground below.

"Jesus!" I yelped as I turned my head to face the man behind me. Though as if fate had been listening to my inner thoughts, the gray-haired assassin was standing right behind me with his usually confident expression.

"Finally! Let me tell you something, you are not an easy guy to find!" The sound of the assassin's voice rang through my ears as my eye started to twitch. "You remember me, don't you?" He questioned, though before he could continue with the conversation, the boy was quickly cut off at the sudden swing of the fist of Shade.

"Whoa!" He yelled while dodging the sudden attack. "Look, I know we didn't start off on the right foot-!" Mercury began in hopes to defuse the situation, though his words were quickly cut off as I threw yet another punch at him, causing him to do a quick flip in order to dodge the oncoming attack.

"Look, I didn't come here to talk!" Mercury said once he landed on the ground, though I merely continued to give him the cold silence whole I continued to throw various attacks at the assassin before me.

"Do need I remind you that we're in public?! Do you really want to get the cops on us again?!" He asked with a rather frustrated expression on his face.

As much as I hated to admit it, the assassin had a point, people were starting to turn their heads towards the two of us due to the ruckus we were creating from within the park. "Fine, what do you want?" I growled.

"I came out here to find you. I have a job that might benefit both of us in the long run." He explained while he patted the dust off of his clothes. I crossed my arms and raised one of my eyebrows in the direction of the boy.

"What kind of job did you have in mind?" I questioned as the assassin had managed to catch my interest.

"Just a simple weapons deal with one of the trading districts of Vale. I'd manage the whole exchange myself, though having the extra backup wouldn't hurt. I got some extra gang members as extra muscle." Mercury said.

"Then why do you need me? Seems like you've got all the muscle power that you need." I asked the gray-haired boy that stood in front of me.

"You're not wrong. I wouldn't have needed to come and find you in the first place if this whole exchange was only about brute force." Mercury said. "Though my boss isn't exactly keen to start a shootout, so they'd rather us handle this whole deal without having lead fly everywhere."

"Strange how a Mercenary has a boss. Normally they move on from a client once the job is complete, so how come you're still answering to this boss of yours when you've already completed the job you've been hired to do?" I asked.

In truth, I already had a general idea of why this guy was even working for the False Maiden, to begin with. Though right now the last thing I needed to do was to draw the attention of said maiden.

"Okay I'll ask again, why do you need my help if you've already got backup?" I questioned with a rather deadpanned expression on my face.

"I'm not about trust the trade to some thugs who'd rather shoot first and ask questions later. There's also that one strange hitman that's gonna make sure that everything goes smoothly, though from what I've heard they aren't exactly one for words."

"So I'd rather have someone who knew their way around a conversation than a couple of thugs and some hitman who barely even speaks," Mercury said with his usual confident expression. "Besides, I'd rather have someone with your intimidation factor by my side during this whole deal." He stated, causing me to stare at the assassin with a rather confused expression

"Not sure I follow," I said.

"Don't try to mess with my head. You really spooked my partner Emerald during our last encounter." The gray-haired boy said as I stared at him with a look of surprise on my face.

"I knew I took the both of you by surprise, though I didn't believe I left that strong of an impression on you two," I said to the assassin in question.

"Hold on now, I never said you shook my boots. You may have some strange powers, though it's not exactly the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life." He said to me as he sat down on the bench.

I was still rather suspicious as to why the thief was so spooked by our encounter in the first place, though at the moment I had other manners to attend to. I had to work out the terms of the deal that was being offered.

"Don't get my intentions all mixed up. I hate the fact that I have to be here in the first place. Though I'd rather have to deal with you for a day than deal with my boss down the road." He said.

I stared at the assassin for a few moments in relative silence before I eventually shook my head. "Enough of that. How much is this job paying in the first place?" I questioned with my arms crossed.

"At the moment, the only thing we're supposed to do is handle the exchange. We pay the Lake District Gang while they give us the weapons the boss requested to be delivered." He explained.

"So we're not getting paid is what you're trying to say," I said with a deadpanned expression.

"No, at least not directly." The assassin said while I started to walk away from where he was sitting. "Hold on, hold on! I never said we weren't getting paid period! I'm just saying it's gonna be a bit more complicated!" He said with his hand reached out.

I let out a rather frustrated sigh while pinching the brim of my nose with my right hand, though I decided to continue to hear the boy out for the time being. "So what did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Don't worry. I have a plan to get what the boss wants while getting some pocket money." He said while leaning over on the bench he was sitting on.

"Alright, let's hear it," I said as I sat down next to the assassin, though I was keeping a good distance between the two of us. I wanted to be ready in case he decided to finish the battle we started a month and a half ago.

"The boss said to avoid causing a firefight during the whole exchange near the Industrial District. Though I don't think they'll fault is if the opposing gang was the one who fired the first shot." He said. "All we have to do is make it look like they were the ones who took the first shot, once we do that we can take the money and the weapons the boss requested." The assassin explained.

"Right, so how exactly do you suggest we provoke them enough to fire the first shot?" I questioned.

"I haven't really thought of that part of the plan yet. Though I'm sure something will pop up sooner or later." He admitted with the same arrogant smirk that he was infamously known for.

"Can't you just kill everyone at the exchange and say that one of their men shot first?" I asked.

"I like the way you think, have I ever told you that?" This, in turn, caused me to shake my head towards the assassins question. "It's like I said before, most of these thugs have below average intelligence. I doubt they'd be able to keep the whole story straight." He explained.

The right hand to the Fale Maiden did have a point as much as I didn't want to admit it. "How much money are we talking about here?" I questioned.

"There's a good amount. About half a hundred thousand give or take. Once we split the money up we each got fifty grand. Sounds like a good deal if all we have to do is start a little shoot out in a secluded area of Vale." He said.

"Hmm." I hummed while pinching my chin with my right hand. I was still rather cautious towards the whole ordeal, as this could have easily been a trap to lure me into a false sense of security.

It wouldn't be the first time that a deal had more shady intentions then what it was on paper, though I try not to think back to those times. However, if this guy genuinely wanted to get me out of the picture then he would have had more then enough opportunities to do so from the past month or so.

"We're gonna need to come up with a plausible reason for why the Lake District Gang would suddenly open fire on us," I said as I opened my eyes while I turned my head towards the assassin in question.

"So you're in?" He asked with a pleased expression.

"As long as we get paid or you get shot then I don't see any issue with what we're doing," I said as I sat up from where we were sitting. "Though how about we come up with a more thought out plan before we go into this whole situation," I suggested.

"Fair enough. Got any suggestions?" He asked.

Once again, I started to rub my chin in order to think on the matter, though I eventually came up with some form of a plan that might cause the ruckus that the assassin is looking for. "Do any of the other gang members you recruited know about this plan?" I questioned.

"You kidding? I can't trust any of those idiots with a plan like this. The hitman seems to have some level of intelligence, though she rubs me the wrong way, I wouldn't trust her anyway." He said.

"That might be a good thing. The less they know about the plan then the better." I said, though my thoughts were quickly shifted towards a certain part of the assassin answer. "Hold on, the hitman is a girl?" I questioned.

"Yeah, not sure why it matters," Mercury said with one of his eyebrows raised. I had a sneaking suspicion of who this woman could be, though if it was who I thought it was then this plan was about to get much more complicated then before.

"It doesn't. Where did you say this exchange was being held?" I questioned, causing the boy in question to take out a slip of paper and a pen.

"Right here. Just go to this address in the Industrial District. Make sure nobody follows you there though." He said as he wrote down the location of the building before handing the slip of paper over to my hands.

"Got it. When is this deal exactly?" I asked as I put the slip of paper in my pocket.

"In about a couple of hours or so." He responded, causing me to stare at the assassin with a frustrated expression.

"What?!" I yelled.

"Look, the idea didn't come to me until just recently! You're the only one who has the muscle and brain needed for this job! The deal is still on, once this whole thing blows over we'll split the money!" He said.

I sighed to myself in order to push those thoughts to the back of my mind. "Whatever, I suppose now it doesn't matter. Here's what I had in mind." I said as I proceeded to explain the plan of action to the person next to my right side. Once I finished with the briefing, I could see a rather cautious expression on his face.

"You know I was sort of hoping we could do better than that," Mercury said.

"Well, if I had a day or two then maybe I could arrange a more in-depth plan that we could go off of. Though considering we only have two hours, this is as good as we're gonna get." I said with my arms crossed. "Besides, a reckless plan is better than no plan at all."

He was about to give his counter-argument, though he eventually saw that it was pointless to argue about it now. "Fair enough." The assassin said. "Anyways, we should head on over now." He said while he sat up from the bench.

"I'll meet you over there. I've got a few things I need to pick up before we start this whole charade." I said as I started to walk towards the market place, leaving a rather confused Mercury behind.

Though he eventually shrugged his shoulders before he started to head on over towards the set location of the deal. He was still rather skeptical of the plan, though right now it was the best one they could manage from within a two-hour time frame.

 _ **...**_

Before I could actually make my over towards the location where the deal would be held, I needed to make sure nobody there knew who I was. The last thing I needed was for either the Lake District Gang or the gang from the Industrial District to get on my trail.

I managed to purchase a set of goggles that covered my eyes, as well as a black bandana in order to conceal my identity. It's been quite some time since I used this outfit, though it was only a matter of time I suppose.

The figure of Mercury could be seen leaning up against the warehouse where the exchange would be held, though once heard the sound of my footsteps approaching from beside him, he quickly got on his guard.

It didn't take long for him to figure out who I was though, as I didn't really change my clothes from our last encounter. "Good, you're here. Took you long enough though, the Lake District Gang should be here any moment." He said while examining my disguise.

"You know, I could still recognize you even with the bandana and goggles on you," Mercury said with one of his eyebrows raised. "The whole point of a disguise is that nobody's supposed to know who you are." He said.

"I'd hope that you would recognize who I was through this. The last thing I need you to do is accidentally shoot me in the crossfire." I responded. "Besides the whole point of this outfit is to blend in with the other members of the gang."

"Fair enough. There was another member of the gang waiting for the others to arrive, though I dealt with him before any of the others made it." Mercury said with a confident smirk.

"I would ask you what you did, though to be honest I have a general idea. That and I don't really care in the first place." I stated, causing the assassin to chuckle in response to my answer.

"Wish I had more people like you in my line of work. Everyone always gives me a hard time." He said as he pulled out the ID for the man he had supposedly killed. "Here, go head over by the entrance to the warehouse. The others should be here to meet Jerry eventually." Mercury stated before he made his way inside the warehouse,

Once he was out of sight, I looked down at the ID in order to read the information that was on it. From the looks of it, the members of the lake district were supposed to meet someone named Jerry.

I shook my head and placed the ID into my coat pocket. Quite a bit of time had passed before I eventually heard the sound of trucks from the distance. I turned my head over towards the source of the noise to see a group of vehicles coming from the west.

The trucks were carrying various boxes from within the back, boxes that I assume contain the weapons that we were looking to collect. I saw the man in the passenger seat wave over towards me, or at least the man he assumed to be Jerry.

"Jerry! Help unload these crates!" The man in the sunglasses said as they parked over by the warehouse. They probably had a general idea of what this man sounded like, so I thought it would be best to hold my tongue for the time being.

My only response was to nod my head as I started to make my way over towards the back of the truck. The crates were fairly heavy, though I was just barely able to pick one of the smaller crates up.

"Are the goons waiting in there?" The woman who I assumed to be the leader of the group questioned, causing me to nod my head in order to confirm her question. "What are we all waiting for! Let's get these crates into the warehouse before someone catches wind of this deal!" She said, causing all the members of the gang to nod as they started to make their way into the facility.

I could see Mercury sitting on one of the larger crates of the warehouse while the leader of the group he had brought started to give commands. However, once I caught a glimpse of the hitman that he had brought to the deal, I cursed under my breath.

There was no doubt about it, that was indeed the right-hand woman of the notorious criminal Roman Torchwick, Neopolitan often referred to as Neo. I doubt Mercury had told her of what he had in store for this deal, so that made things even more complicated than before.

However, I needed to focus on the task at hand, that being taking both that weapons and the money that was currently in the building. The plan was to stage a double cross that would make it look like the Lake District attempted to steal both the weapons and the money that was in the case on the table in front of us.

Though at the moment it doesn't seem likely that anyone here would do such a thing. So that's where I come in, as far as I can tell, no one other then Mercury knows that I'm not actually part of this gang.

Which means that as far as everyone else is concerned, the Lake District is the one who started the firefight. All that's left is to actually survive long enough to reap the rewards of this whole scandal.

"I take it you have what the boss requested?" The leader questioned.

"As long as you have what we want." The woman said with her arms crossed. The man in question turned to one of his fellow gang members and motioned him to open the chest on the table.

The man nodded as he started to type the code in the case, eventually opening it to reveal the money that was promised to them. "You'll get your payment, though first, we want to see the weapons." He said.

"You heard the man, give em the crates." She said, causing the members of the gang to place the wooden boxes on the other side of the room. The man proceeded to move over towards the crates with a crowbar in hand.

However, once he opened the wooden boxes, the only thing that could be seen from within the containers were various bombs. Before anyone could react, the man in the sunglasses pressed the detonator, causing an explosion to echo throughout the room.

My ears were ringing due to the sudden burst of noise, and I was having trouble staying conscious as I went flying onto one of the metal boxes in the room. Though I was able to shake off the feeling in order to asses the situation.

From the looks of it, there wasn't even a need for my plan, to begin with. The members of the Lake District Gang had started to make their escape with the money at their side, as well as the weapons that had been stolen from at Atlas Convoy.

I looked around to search for the assassin, though from the looks of it he was still trying to regain his composure. The hitman was nowhere to be seen, and the other members of the gang were open firing on the Lake District.

"You okay?!" I heard one of the members of the gang question as he pulled me up from off the ground. They still believed that I was a member of the group, perhaps I could use this to my advantage.

I gave the man a thumbs up, causing him to nod his head in response. "Good, now come on! The others will take care of the rest! The boss is waiting for us in the van!" He said while making his way over towards the exit of the warehouse.

My eyes met with the assassin, causing him to signal me to go with the gang in order to get a hold of the situation. I nodded my head and got in the truck, causing the leader to slam on the gas.

The sound of the gunshots got further away as we made our way through the industrial district. "Did you get the money?" The leader questioned, causing the man in the sunglasses to nod as he pulled out the case.

"Good, there was no way in hell that we were delivering those weapons to a client we barely even know." She said to the two of us. I'm assuming they were talking about the False Maiden known as Cinder, and from the looks of it, she's been pretty keen on keeping her identity a secret to the rest of the gangs.

"How are you holding up, Jerry?" She asked, causing me to break out of the daze that I was in. The only response I gave her was a thumbs up, causing the woman to let out a chuckle. "Good, so what's up with the bandana and goggles? Not that I'm complaining, it's good to hide your identity. Makes it harder for the authorities to capture you." She said.

I merely pointed at her and gave her yet another thumbs up. "You say that's the reason why you have all that on?" She questioned, causing me to nod my head in approval.

"You sure you're okay? I get that you've always been softspoken, though this is kinda ridiculous." The leader said. "Now that I think about it, you really haven't said anything since the deal started. What's gotten into-?" She began, only for a sudden thud to echo throughout the car.

Before any of us could really question what was going on, a small blade could be seen piercing through the top of the car. It just barely missed my shoulder's, this caused the leader to slam on the breaks in order to shake the sudden attacker off.

"What now?!" She asked, though her question was quickly answered once she caught a glimpse of the right hand of Roman Torchwick standing on the roof of the car next to them. The girl raised her blade up towards the air and stabbed the driver of the car, causing the vehicle to spin out of the road and into a ruined building on our right. "Goddamnit! Both of you, get ready for a fight!" The leader ordered, causing the man to nod as he took out some sort of submachine gun.

However, we failed to notice that the girl had taken out the driver of the car in front of us, causing it to tumble towards us at an alarming rate. With no other choice, I quickly summoned Shade towards the front of the car in order to flip us into the air.

We had just managed to avoid colliding with the oncoming truck, though seeing as how I couldn't keep the spirit out for more than a single second, there was nothing stopping us from crashing into one of the nearby buildings.

Once we made contact with the rubble, I could feel my consciousness slip away once we crashed through the building. It took a few moments before I was able to wake up, though the sound of gunshots in the distance quickly broke me out of my daze.

The vehicle we were in had been flipped upside down, which in turn made it so that I landed on the roof of the truck with an audible thud once I unbuckled the seatbelt of the back seat.

"Maybe I should have thought that through more." I groaned before I reeled my foot back in order to shatter the window. Once I had done so, I crawled out of the car and out towards the ruined building.

I gripped my head in response to the pulsing pain that echoed throughout it, though I was quickly brought back into reality at the sudden pressure of someone kicking me onto the ground.

The figure of the ice cream themed girl could be seen right in front of me with her blade in hand. "Hold on! I'm on your side! I'm with-!" I began, though my words didn't seem to reach the girl as she proceeded to jab the blade towards my chest.

However, just before it could get any closer, the figure of Shade quickly rammed it's fist onto the chin of the small woman, causing her to go flying into the air while her blade fell to the ground with an audible thud.

I expected the girl to rise with a rather furious expression on her face, though what I saw caught me by surprise. Rather than seeing rage, I saw a rather monotone a serious expression on her face.

She pulled out a knife that was hidden from within her boot and proceeded to prepare for a fight between the two of us. With no other option available to me, I grabbed the blade that was right by my side with a serious expression on my face.

Though just before we could initiate the next stage of the fight, the grey-haired assassin step in between the two of us with a rather frustrated expression. "Hey! Would you two calm down! We're all on the same side here!" He yelled while the girl to stare at the assassin with one of her eyebrows raised.

"Look, I'll explain everything later! For now...!" He began as he fired a white ball of energy over towards one of the vehicles of the gangs, causing the members behind it to rush for another form of cover.

"We need to clean up this mess!" He said while the gears in his legs started to turn in response to the oncoming battle. The man in the sunglasses started to head towards the top of the building that was next to us in order to get a better shot of the battle.

"I'll take care of the sniper! You two need to deal with things down here!" I said before I proceeded to make my way over towards the ladder that led to the top of the stone building.

"Quit ordering us around! Take the sniper on the building! We'll deal with things down here!" Mercury echoed.

"But that's what I just-!" I began, though I merely let loose an audible growl as I saw no reason to continue this argument in the heat of battle. I nodded and started to make my way over towards the building where the man in the sunglasses had gone towards.

The two proceeded to take on some of the more larger brutes that had been present throughout the exchange while I started to climb up the ladder. Once I reached the top, I could see the man looking down the scope of his rifle.

Just as I stepped onto the stone floor, he spun around while taking out a pistol from the holster he had on his waist before he fired one of the bullets over in my direction. While I was able to avoid taking mortal damage, I could feel the bullet fly straight through the palm of my hand.

"Goddamnit!" I growled in pain.

"Hold on." He said while examining the clothing I was wearing. "What did you do to our dealer?!" The man demanded while he pointed the rifle at my forehead.

"Don't know. Don't really care either." I responded as I slid my shoe across the ground, causing some of the excess dust to fly towards the lenses of the glasses that the man was wearing.

The man in question growled to himself while he shook off the shades, though I had managed to close the gap that was between the two of us. I slammed my fist onto the jaw of the sniper, causing him to go flying back a few feet.

Acting quickly, I picked up the rifle that fell onto the ground and pointed it at the man. Once I pulled the trigger, I stumbled back a few feet due to the force behind the sudden blast of the gun.

While it did manage to do some damage to the man, most of the force was absorbed by his aura. I cursed under my breath and prepared another shot, though the sudden force on my back quickly broke my state of concentration.

"Tell me something." I heard the voice of the leader say as I got up from the ground. "Did you lot figure out our plans for this whole deal? Did you plan for all of this to happen?" She asked as she clenched her fist tightly.

"Actually, I was taking the identity of your dealer in order to start a firefight between the two gangs. Though from the looks of it, the two of you did it for me." I said as I rubbed the back of my neck in order to remove the sharp pain.

"...Oh." She said.

"Yeah, they had no idea about this plan of yours," I said while I clenched my fist tightly. She was about to question what I was even doing, though the sudden figure of Shade slamming his fist right on her nose quickly cut her off.

The sniper stared at the scene with a look of complete and utter shock on his face, as well as a hint of horror in his eyes. "W-What the hell are you?! Are you possessed or something?!" He questioned while he aimed his pistol at my head.

"...Sure, let's go with that." I responded while slamming my foot onto his stomach, causing the air from within his lungs to be knocked out as he fell out of consciousness. I was about to make my way down the ladder in order to patch myself up, though the sight of the leader standing before me quickly stopped me in my tracks.

"You know, I don't want to kill you. The only thing I'm here for is the money, I could care less about what you do then." I said with a deadpanned expression, though I could tell that we were past the point of walking away.

Her only response was to take out some sort of shotgun that she had at her side, which in turn caused me to kick her away with the strength of the Spirit bound to my soul. I quickly rushed over towards the rifle in order to gain some sort of an advantage in this fight, as fighting close quarters wasn't exactly something I was to keen on doing since she had a weapon that specialized in close range combat.

Though once I aimed the rifle at her, I suddenly started to feel rather lightheaded due to the wound on my hand. She took this opportunity to fire a shot towards my direction, however, I quickly blocked the attack with the rifle I had in my hands.

While I did avoid taking some serious damage, the rifle was pretty much useless to me after that attack. I slammed it on the ground and picked up the pistol that the sniper had dropped.

She went to fire another shot in my direction, though I ran up and kicked the broken rifle over towards the woman, causing her to shoot it out of the air. In response, I started to fire various shots at her, though her aura absorbed most of the damage. She continued to fire various shots at me, though I either dodged the attack or had Shade deflect them.

Either way, the only thing I was actually doing was buying time until she had to reload each shot individually. As soon as she ran out of shots, I ran towards the woman with a determined expression on my face and proceeded to ram my elbow into her stomach. I could hear her growl as she slammed her knee onto my chest before attempting to fire another burst of lead at me, though I quickly knocked the weapon out of her grasp.

I used this opportunity to give the woman a quick jab across the jaw, as well as a swift punch to the center of her forehead. With the force of Shade behind it, the woman eventually fell out of consciousness.

Once I was certain that she wasn't getting up, I took a deep breath and exhaled, finally able to catch a break with everything that had just happened. This wasn't getting any better, I should probably head back over to the house.

Though once I made it back down to the ground, I could see the two killers finishing up with the rest of the group. Not really sure if any of them had actually died, though the lack of blood told me otherwise.

"Whew! Guess that's that!" Mercury said as he turned his head towards the ruined truck that held the weapons that the False Maiden had requested. "Boss isn't gonna be happy about that." He said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Now, where the hell is that..." The assassin began, though he was quickly cut off at the sight of the small hitman holding the case of money that we had been gunning for in the first place. "Case." He finished his previous statement.

The man reached over to grab the case, though the woman quickly pushed it out of his grasp. "Hey! The hell do you think you're doing?!" He questioned, though the only response from the girl was to make various hand gestures towards the two of us.

"..." We merely stood there in silence once she stopped making the signs. Though once she saw that we couldn't understand a word that she was saying, she let out a silent sigh before she took out a notepad.

Rather than dropping the briefcase, she merely took the pen in her mouth and proceeded to write down what she had just said. It was surprisingly easy to read all things considered.

 _"Explain the situation. Then you get your money."_ She said.

"Fine, here's what happened," I said as I proceeded to explain the process of our plan to the small woman that stood before us. It took a few moments due to the communication barrier between the three of us, though we eventually explained things to the girl.

 _"I don't like being kept in the dark like this. I nearly killed the kid from before."_ The woman wrote down.

"We didn't know if we could trust you. So we didn't take any chances." I explained, however, this didn't seem to brighten the mood of the girl in the slightest. "It doesn't really matter, to begin with, we have the money and the weapons." The only response she gave was to make some sort of chopping motion.

"Half of the weapons. You're still getting what you wanted more or less." I said.

"Yeah, in the end, I think it's safe to say that things turned out alright. You got your weapons and we got our money." Mercury said with a smirk as Neo proceeded to write something down.

 _"I want a cut of what you got."_ She said.

"Oh yeah? Why would we do that?" The assassin questioned with his arms crossed, causing the woman to write down another message on the notepad she had, as well as with the pen that was grasped in between her teeth.

 _"You can't be serious. I was just as involved as the two of you were, the money and weapons would have gotten away if it weren't for my help."_ She said with a serious expression on her face.

"...She does have a point. I wouldn't have gotten that opportunity if it weren't for her help." I said.

"Fine, we each get about..." He began as he proceeded to divide the amount of money that each of us would be getting for our troubles. Though after a few moments of failed math later, the woman eventually silently growled and proceeded to hand each of us with about fifteen thousand while she kept about twenty thousand.

"Hold on, why are you getting more than us? We were the ones who came up with the plan in the first place?" I questioned as the girl proceeded to walk away from the two of us while waving her hands around.

"We still can't understand you." The assassin said, causing the woman to wave a certain finger at us before she disappeared. "I understood that." He growled while kicking away a small stone.

However, before we could speak amongst ourselves, the sound of sirens quickly brought us back to reality. "Damn it! Come on, let's get out of here before the investigation team gets here!" I said as the two of us ran down a nearby alleyway in hopes to lose the authorities.

Though little did either of us know that the hitman had been watching us escape from a distance with a rather amused expression on her face.

"That kid sure has some interesting powers. Perhaps he'll come in handy in the near future." She mused to herself.

"I should keep an eye on him, you never know what kind of adventures might follow." The girl said while walking away from the crime scene.

We continued to run down the various alleyways in hopes to lose the authorities, though it was becoming increasingly more difficult to do so due to the blood loss from the wound in my hand.

The assassin seemed to have noticed that I was starting to fall behind. "Would you hurry it up! I'm not gonna bail you out if the cops catch you!" He said, though his look of frustration quickly turned into that of confusion as he saw the sweat coming down my face.

He was about to question the reason for why I was acting this way, though his question was answered before it could even be asked once his eyes laid on the wound on my hand.

"Guess you took some damage back there." He said with his arms crossed.

"I'll be fine. Just gotta patch this up." I responded once I caught my breath.

The assassin started to look around the area in hopes to locate a secluded spot where the two of us could rest for a while.

"Over here." He said while pointing at some sort of tree that was nearby the wall of the Kingdom. Once we were certain that nobody had followed us, we took the time to rest from the most recent battle.

"Ah!" I bossed as a sharp pain started to travel up my arm.

"You know, your aura should have stopped the wound from hurting by now. Strange how it's taking so long to kick in." Mercury said.

"That's because I don't have an aura," I said, causing the assassin to do a quick double take as he processed this new piece of information.

"Come on, quit pulling my leg. All living things have an aura, even plants." He said.

"You can take a look, though there's nothing there. Believe me, many have tried to prove me otherwise." I said while I took out a spare neckerchief in order to wrap it around my hand.

The assassin proceeded to attempt to locate any form of evidence that would indicate that I have an aura. Though as to be expected, the boy found nothing from within his search.

"Whoa." He said once I finished tending to my wound. "I've met a lot of weird people in my life, though you definitely make it to the top five," Mercury said.

"Told you," I said with a deadpan expression on my face.

"So what are you? Are you even alive?" He questioned as he stared at me intently. This, in turn, caused me to move my hand toward my heart, and sure enough, I could feel a heartbeat.

"I've got a heartbeat. So I suppose I am." I said to the boy next to me on the bench.

"It's weird. It's like there's nothing there, though at the same time there's something." He said.

"I get that a lot," I said with a slight chuckle. "Not sure how to explain it."

"So why go into the Mercenary business without an aura to protect you?" He asked.

"I'm not completely defenseless, and we all have to make ends meet somehow," I responded.

"...Fair enough." Mercury said with a surprisingly soft expression. "So you mean to tell me that I could have just shot you in the head during our last battle and you would have been down for the count?" He asked.

"I mean if that's what you want to take away from all of this then sure," I growled.

"Well, how about that." He said with a chuckle.

"Something up?" I questioned.

"I just didn't think I'd ever meet another one." He said with a soft smirk.

"Not sure I follow," I said.

"..." He looked rather hesitant to explain to me what he meant by his statement. "...It's nothing. I'm gonna hit the road." Mercury said as he proceeded to walk off into the distance. "We make a pretty good team, maybe I'll recruit you for another job!" He said while waving over in my direction.

I was suspicious about the reasoning for his sudden change in attitude, though I didn't see any reason to worry about it in the first place. From what I gathered, he doesn't want to kill me, and it's not like we're close friends. I eventually shook it off and proceeded to make my way over towards the house.

The fundraiser was only a few days away, and I needed to be ready for anything to come in my direction.

 _Meanwhile, with Mercury_

Eventually, the assassin managed to find his way back over towards his base of operation. He stared at the structure for a few moments before he let out an audible sigh as he entered the house.

"You're late." He heard his partner greet, causing him to curse under his breath while turning around to greet the girl.

"Well hello to you too." He said with his usual smirk.

"I heard about what happened back down in the industrial district. Cinder told us to keep a low profile while we were here." Emerald said.

"That she did, though she also said to contribute to the plan." Mercury countered. "Besides, it wasn't even my fault this time." He said.

"Right, so what happened?" She asked.

"Simple, they had an opportunity to take the weapons they stole from the Atlas Convoy, and they took it. It's what I would have done." He said. "So we had this car chase and we wound up on the other side of the Industrial District."

"Hold on, you were working with someone?" Emerald asked.

"Remember that one guy we fought last month?" The assassin asked, causing the thief to state at him with a rather horrified expression.

"What the hell were you thinking?! I thought we agreed to keep our distance from him!" She said.

"Yeah, though then this job came up and I thought I could make some money with his help. He wasn't convinced at first, though he came around in the end." Mercury said. "Now I just got us a very powerful ally." He said.

"Do you even know what he is?!" Emerald questioned.

"Not sure I follow. He seemed pretty normal." The assassin said, deciding that it would be for the best if he didn't tell her about the situation regarding the boy's soul.

"He's anything but normal. I've seen people with powers like his." She said with a serious expression.

"Huh?" He asked.

"...Are you familiar with the Spirits of Remnant?" Emerald asked.

"I'm familiar with them. Though I don't believe it, I mean, if spirits actually existed then my old man would have come back to haunt me a long time ago." He said.

"Not that! I mean the Great Knights of the White Kingdom!" Emerald said.

"Oh! I've read a thing or two about them. They bound themselves to a worthy soul and they give them great power in return." He said.

"Yeah, and I have reason to believe that we just met one of them. The strange powers, the seemingly strange presence he gives off, and let's not forget about that black figure we saw throughout the fight." Emerald said.

"That right?" Mercury said with a rather surprised expression. "Then that's all the more reason to get on his good side." He said.

"What are you talking about? We're already on the side of a Maiden." She said.

"Right, though for how long?" He said, causing the girl to stare at him with a rather serious expression.

"Excuse me?" The thief questioned.

"Come on, we're only in this job because we have the required skills to finish it," Mercury said. "I know the ins and outs of killing, and you can make people see anything you want." He said.

"Once we get the second half of the Maidens Powers, as well as do whatever it is that Cinder wants us to do, we're not of much use to her after that," Mercury said.

"So what, you think she'll just toss us aside once we're done?!" Emerald asked.

"Oh, I know she will. She might keep you around, for the time being, a semblance like yours is pretty hard to come by." He said. "Though once all is said and done, there won't really be any reason for her to keep us around. Just a matter of time."

"So why put your trust in that boy? In case you forgot, neither of us are on good terms with him." She said.

"Trust him? No, that's not what I had in mind. I don't trust anyone, everyone has some sort of agenda going on in the background. Though he might be useful." He said.

"Also if what you said about these spirits is true, then he may very well be the only one who can take her down." He said.

"You're kidding. You're gonna place your bets on that nobody?! After everything she did for us, you're still not convinced that she's with us?!" She asked.

"As far as I'm concerned the only thing she actually did was give me a new set of weapons. Hell, I wasn't even meant to be here, she was looking for my old man." He said.

"..." She merely stared at her partner in relative silence.

"Cinder went looking for you. She wanted to recruit you." He said as he started to walk towards the door.

"Where are you going now?!" Emerald asked.

"I'm going to get some air," Mercury said as he slammed the door behind him, causing the thief to growl as she slammed her fist onto the wall.

 _ **...**_

 _ **With that, another chapter of our story comes to a close. A deal had been made with a former enemy, one that seemingly benefited both sides. However, things got rather complicated once the unexpected struck.**_

 _ **Though with this temporary alliance with a silent killer, our hero managed to deal with the situation. Though he is rather suspicious of the behavior of the assassin, as well as his motives for this alliance.**_

 _ **However, there were more pressing matters to attend to. With the fundraiser only a few days away, our hero will be quite busy.**_

 _ **Though he will soon realize that strength will not be the only thing tested on that day.**_

 _ **Some things require a more subtle approach, and some decisions can be rather hard to make when faced in the heat of battle.**_

 _ **Though that is a story for another day.**_

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: A Job in Atlas**_


	11. A Job in Atlas

_**The Story so far... After encountering the right-hand man of the False Maiden known as Cinder Fall, our hero takes on a job alongside the assassin in order to attain fortune and riches.**_

 _ **All was going according to plan, that is until the gang of the Lake District decided to make an escape with both the money that the two mercenaries were after, as well as the weapons that were promised to the most notorious criminal in all of the Kingdom.**_

 _ **That being Roman Torchwick, a man known for his crimes and style in the field. Though fortunately for our hero, the bodyguard of the criminal known as Neopolitan was there to assist in the retrieval of the weapons, as well as the money.**_

 _ **It was a rather hard fought battle, one that the swordsman did not walk away from unscathed, though, in the end, he emerged victorious with his newfound ally by his side.**_

 _ **However, this partnership is rather fragile, as both sides have ulterior motives for siding with one another. Our hero seeks to gain some information from this partnership in hopes that it would benefit him in the near future.**_

 _ **On the other hand, the assassin hopes to ally himself with a fighter with vasts amount of potential for the near future. The boy believes that he could use this new opportunity to his advantage.**_

 _ **After all, what better way to counter a Fairy Tale then with another Fairy Tale. Though the gray-haired boy will come to attain something beyond that of strength.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **A Job in Atlas**_

The Kingdon of Atlas, located in the continent of Solitas and from what I heard, towers over the once great Kingdom of Mantle. Seems like most of the books that I read tend to speak in metaphors, though I suppose that's fitting with how this world operates.

This place is well known for having one of the most well-protected borders of any of the four kingdoms due to the fact that the Military, Police, and Huntsmen Programs are all combined into a single force.

Perhaps this is why Atlas seems to have very little problems when it comes to threats that could jeopardize the city, though this is excluding the more recent assaults on the capitals by the Creatures of Grimm.

The whole reason we're even going out to the continent in the first place is because of said issues with these monsters. This fundraiser is not only supposed to help with the reconstruction of Helios, though as a way to honor those whose lives were lost during the battle.

A dozen of Huntsmen had gathered on the airship in order to take the job that was sent out by the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company. I'm sure there would be many more once we actually arrived in the Kingdom in the first place.

The city was protected by a frozen tundra with dangerous blizzards that howled throughout the land, as well as steep mountains that should only be traversed by the most experienced of climbers.

However, despite the dangers of the continent, many people would be happy to call this place their homeland. The dangers of this land affect both mankind and the monsters that plagued the land, making this place an ideal area for protection.

Though that isn't the only reason people flock to this part of the land, some people merely wish to take in the breathtaking scenery of the pure white snow that shines under the light of the shattered moon.

It was truly a sight that you wouldn't be able to see anywhere else in the other kingdoms of the world. Despite all of that, however, I found myself regretting, to have ever accepted this job in the first place.

Because I wasn't particularly fond of the cold temperature of the continent, to begin with. Even with the central heating of the airship we were traveling in, I still found myself wrapping myself up in hopes to warm myself up.

"How close are we?" I questioned through the piece of cloth that was covering up my nose and mouth while I rubbed my leather gloves together. The Archeologist on the other hand merely wore a heavy brown jacket with a set of leather gloves of her own.

"We shouldn't be too far away now." She said while lighting one of her cigarettes.

"Do you have to do that in here?" I asked while pushing away the smoke that was starting to form near my nose. I let out a few coughs, causing my breath to be very visible in front of my field of vision.

"I didn't see a no smoking sign when we walked in." Mary countered while taking another puff from the rolled up tobacco that she had. I growled to myself while tightening the pair of boots that I was wearing. "How's your hand?" She asked, causing me to open and close the palm of the hand that was recently shot.

"It's still a bit stiff and sore, though I can manage," I responded before standing up from off the metal ground.

We were standing in front of one of the windows of the airship that had been flying through the blizzard for some time now. It was rather difficult to see the environment around us due to the storm, though I could see faint lights from time to time.

I shook my head and turned around to face the large group of huntsmen and huntresses that had gathered to protect the theater where the fundraiser was being held. They had weapons of varying types, each one having their own unique flair to it.

The thought of a certain red-caped girl having a mini heart attack over the sight crossed my mind, though the thought quickly left once I turned to face the woman I was working with.

"Sure are a lot of Huntsmen and Huntresses here," I commented through the piece of cloth while the Archeologist scanned the surrounding area with a rather curious expression on her face.

"A job like this doesn't come as often as you'd think. For some people here, this could very well be a year's worth of pay for the work they do." Mary explained while putting out the cigarette with the bottom of her boot.

"Well now, that's certainly a motivation," I commented with a light chuckle in my voice. "Who's paying them exactly? I doubt that the Council is just about to give thousands if not millions of pieces of Lien just for a simple bodyguard job."

"That's because they aren't the ones who are compensating for everyone, it's the company itself." She explained as I stared at her with a rather surprised expression.

"How can a single company have that much money lying around?" I questioned while scratching an itch that was starting to form on my head due to the cotton of the hat I was wearing.

"They are the most reliable source of Dust in the entire world, so I suppose naturally they would make a whole lot of money. Whether it be the military, the academies themselves, or just simple shops, these resources are always in high demand." She said. "Though I doubt that this is the only way they get their money, though then again not a whole lot of people care to begin with."

"Suppose every company's got a little dirt on them, even ones as large as the Schnee Dust Company," I stated with my arms crossed, as well as a frown on my face though it was covered up due to the vast amounts of clothing I was wearing.

"Especially ones as large as the Schnee Dust Company." The woman responded. "Though they do supply us with one of the most valuable resources ever known to mankind, so people usually leave them alone."

"Usually?" I questioned.

"Yeah, I'm sure you've already heard about them, whether it be on the local news or just through talk around the city. The SDC isn't exactly popular with the members of the White Fang movement." She said.

"Right. I've heard a few things about them here and there, though I tend to keep close to the ground when it comes to those things." I responded.

"Well, they're the main reason we're here in the first place. The General believes that the White Fang might attempt to make a move on the members of the Schnee Family, and it's our job to make sure that every member of the family walks out of here in one piece." She said.

"Got it," I said before I turned my head towards the woman in question. "See anyone you recognize here?" I asked, causing the woman to shake her head in response to my question.

"No, I tend to work alone for the most part. The General did send out special requests to some of the Huntsmen in Vale. I just so happen to be one of those special requests." She said. "James isn't gonna be happy that he isn't here, though not surprised."

"Who are you talking about?" I asked as I raised one of my eyebrows from underneath my goggles.

"Just a drinking buddy of mine. I tend to go out on missions on my own for the most part, though I don't mind having a little extra help from him from time to time." The woman said with a faint smile.

The mention of alcohol leads me to believe that she's referring to a certain scythe-wielding Huntsman, though then again I'm sure he isn't the only warrior with an alcohol issue. I mean if anything this profession encourages people to drown the memories of the horrors they've seen out in the world.

"How are you not dead? You drink and you smoke on a regular basis." I said to her with my arms crossed.

"Bite me." She hissed before turning her head back towards the windows that were in front of us. I merely shook my head before staring out into the snow storm from the outside of the airship.

"Hey, mind if I ask you a question?" I asked.

"If you ask me why I drink and smoke so much one more time I'm going to hit you." She growled while balling her fist with an annoyed expression on her face. I raised my hands up in order to reassure her that she would no longer be pestered with that question.

"That wasn't what I was going to ask," I said in hopes to calm the woman down. It seems that my methods had worked, as she let out a rather deep sigh before placing her hands back into her pockets.

"What do you want to know?" She asked.

"So the books you have in your studies tend to speak in metaphors most of the time," I said as the woman nodded her head. "I was reading up on the history of Atlas and I read an entry on how it tower's over Mantle."

"Right." She responded.

"So I was wondering what that's supposed to mean exactly," I said. "I mean, there are a lot of possible explanations given the history of Mantle, though given how you're an archeologist and all, I thought you'd be able to give me a more clear answer."

"...Here's the thing. Those books aren't meant to be metaphorical, they're meant to be literal and that statement is no exception." She said while the snowstorm started to clear up.

"I don't...follow," I said as I stared out into the distance, though what I saw quickly put me in a state of shock and awe in response to what I was seeing. In the distance, I could see the Kingdom of Atlas hovering in the skies while chained to the ground.

The Kingdom hovered above some sort of hole in the ground, the said hole was emanating smoke and faint red light. Right below the Kingdom of Atlas was another settlement, it was at this moment that things started to click in my mind.

"Oh, so when the books say that the Kingdom of Mantle is shadowed by the Kingdom of Atlas, it literally means it's shadowing the Kingdom," I said as I walked up towards the window.

"Yeah," Mary said while we stared up at the two capitals.

"Whoa," I commented at the mere sight of the flying city. It was hard not to be captivated by such a sight, as it's not every day you see a flying city in the tundra of snow after all. "Can't beat that view."

"That you can't. Though the meaning behind it isn't exactly as pretty as the scenery." She said.

However, before we could continue with our conversation, the sound of the speakers from within the airship quickly brought us back to reality, as well as silenced the loud murmurs that echoed throughout the ship.

 _"Please prepare for arrival. Repeat, please prepare for arrival. Will all Huntsmen and Huntresses please prepare for landing."_ The pilot said as everyone gathered their weapons.

In the distance, I could see other airships similar to our own, though the symbols on the side's of the ship were different from our own. Those were probably the aircraft's that held the Huntsmen and Huntresses from the other two Kingdoms.

"Stay close and pay attention," Mary said while twirling around her weapon in her right hand. I nodded and patted down the sheathing of the sword that was given to me by the Spirit known as Shade.

We were officially in the Kingdom of Atlas, and would soon meet a young girl that would prove to play quite an important role in the events of the near future.

 _ **...**_

Once we landed near the Huntsmen Academy of the Kingdom, we were told to gather towards the Amphitheater of the Academy in order to hear the briefing of the mission from General Ironwood himself.

There were once a dozen of Huntsmen and Huntresses that were gathered in a single place, though now there were close to fifty Huntsmen and Huntresses in the theater. I could see students peaking around the corners of the hallways in order to get a better look at the crowd that had started to form.

Various murmurs could be heard from within the crowd, as well as from within the hallways of the amphitheater. It seems this whole ordeal was causing quite the commotion from within the school.

Though everyone was quickly silenced once the Headmaster of the Academy, as well as the General of the Atlas Army, walked onto the stage with a serious expression on his face.

Once silence filled the air, the man pressed one of the buttons on his neck, causing the button to light up suddenly. All of a sudden, the voice of the general echoed throughout the theater.

 **"You have been called here because you are the best of the best. Because the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company has called out for assistance, and you all chose to answer."** He said with his booming tone.

 **"Whatever your reason, whether it be for the riches that were promised to you upon completion of this job, or if you are doing this for the common good, it doesn't matter,"** Ironwood said.

 **"I have reason to believe that the White Fang have plans to exterminate all members of the family, including the lieutenant and huntress known as Winter Schnee."** He said. **"My scouts have reported suspicious activity from the Atlas District of the White Fang, reports of mass weapon manufacturing and cargo being stolen from our convoys and trains. The Fang is planning for a battle, a rather large one at that."**

 **"However, we cannot allow them to succeed in their assassination attempt. The time of peace that we have fought for has long passed, now is the time for action and combat."** The General said while members of the audience voiced their agreements.

 **"This once peaceful movement has tragically turned towards acts of violence. Now it is our job to ensure that they do not bring harm upon the Four Kingdoms, not just Atlas."** He said. **"Gather your strength and be ready for anything tomorrow."**

Once the General had finished his speech, he pushed the button on his neck once again in order to turn off the light that was shining off of the said button. The Huntsmen and Huntresses began to leave the Amphitheater, though before I could follow the crowd through the grounds of the school, the Archeologist quickly placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Hold on, we won't be following the crowd at the moment. General Ironwood would like to speak to the two of us in his office." The woman said with a serious expression. I was rather curious as to why he wanted to talk to the two of us, though I figured we would get our answers soon enough. We were about to take off, though we were quickly stopped by the sound of a young woman's voice.

The two of us turned our heads to see a dark-skinned girl wearing the attire of blue and white walking towards us. She bore a professional and serious demeanor, much like the rest of the people of this Kingdom.

"Something you need?" Mary questioned, clearly confused as to why such a young girl was trying to get our attention.

"You're Marlyn Naturae, the Archeologist of Beacon Academy, a Huntsmen School located in the Kingdom of Vale. Is that not correct?" The girl asked with an emotionless expression on her face.

"That's right. Who's asking though?" She said with her arms crossed.

"My name is Ciel Soleil. I am one of General Ironwood's Special Operatives. He has asked me to escort you over to his office. If we leave now we should arrive approximately three minutes and twenty-four seconds ahead of schedule." The newly named Ciel said while looking at her watch.

"No thanks, I already know where to go." She said as she proceeded to walk past the girl in question, leaving her with a rather baffled expression.

"B-But I have direct order's from the General himself! Blatantly disobeying them is out of the question!" She said, her calm and serious demeanor falling apart rather quickly than expected.

However, the Archeologist paid no real mind to her and continued to walk towards the exit of the amphitheater. This only threw the girl into a state of panic as her schedule was being compromised.

While she was having this existential crisis, I placed my hand on my chin in order to delve deeper into my state of mind. She looked familiar, though I couldn't quite place my finger on where I had seen her from.

"Uh..." I began, causing the girl to turn her head towards me with the same panicked expression on her person. She stared at me for a few moments before she looked at her watch once again.

She pressed a few buttons on the center, causing a rather large screen to pop up from above the metal wristlet. I couldn't really read the contents that were on the blue screen, as the words were spelled backward's from my perspective.

Having piqued my curiosity, I ran my hand through the blue display in order to get a better idea of how this technology worked. I was in the Kingdom of Atlas, after all, a place well known for being the most technologically advanced Kingdom in the entire world.

"Don't do that." She demanded as she swatted my hand away, causing me to grumble under my breath. "Hmm, you must the plus one that is mentioned in the request," Ciel said as she closed the blue screen with the tap of her finger.

"Ahem." She cleared her throat and regained her composure. "If you would follow me, I will escort you to the office of Headmaster Ironwood." The girl said while puffing out her chest and standing up in a formal fashion.

"Right," I said as the two of us proceeded to walk out of the amphitheater. Our conversations were relatively one-sided, as each time I attempted to speak to her, it was always interrupted by her informing me of the Atlas Military, as well as the importance of the mission.

"The Lieutenant of the Atlas Army, Winter Schnee will be overseeing security. She is also part of the specialist team for General Ironwood, meaning she is rather competent in battle. Follow her instructions and all will go smoothly. Do you have any questions?" She asked as we walked down the hallway leading to the office of General Ironwood.

"How are you feeling about all of this?" I asked, causing her to stop dead in her tracks before she turned her head towards me with a confused expression.

"What do you mean?" She questioned. "Are you questioning about what my thoughts are on the current situation is about the Schnee Fundraiser? Because if this is the case then I can go into detail of what I believe would be the best course of-." The girl began to ramble once again, though I quickly held my hand out in front of her in order to cut her off.

"That isn't what I had in mind, I was more or less reffering to your position as a Special Operative. After all, you don't exactly look old enough to be in the position you're in." I commented.

"Perhaps. To be honest, it took me by surprise as well. They told me that I would be assigned to a special individual within the coming year, though all details regarding this person have remained confidential." Ciel said. "I suppose I feel rather honored to be trusted with such a task from the General himself, though my nerves have been at an all-time high."

It took me a few moments to realize what she meant by a special individual, though the dots eventually connected from within my head. This was Ciel Soleil, the partner to the android Penny Polendina.

"That's only natural," I said as we continued to walk down the hallway that led towards the office of General Ironwood. It took us quite a bit of time, as the building was rather large when compared to the other facilities, though that's probably due to the fact that this is also the central command center for the General as well.

However, after walking through countless rooms and hallways, we eventually arrived at the doors leading to the office of the Headmaster of the Huntsmen Academy of the Kingdom of Atlas.

"Ah, here we are. This is where we must part ways." Ciel said. "It was a pleasure to meet you...I don't believe I've gotten your name yet." She said, though just as I was about to introduce myself, her watch let out an audible ringing noise.

She pressed the button on said watch and placed one of her fingers on her right ear. "Soleil speaking." The girl said, cutting off our conversation in the process. "...Yes, I will make my way towards the laboratory at once." Once she ended the call, she proceeded to make her way down the hallway, leaving me to stand in front of the door.

I shook my head before turning it over towards the wooden entrance. I knocked on the door and waited for a few moments until the sound of locks turning quickly brought me back to reality.

Once the door opened, I could see the Archeologist standing in the room with a serious expression on her face. "You took your time." She said as I walked into the office of the General.

"You left me behind," I growled while the woman closed the door and locked it from the inside. At the end of the room, I could see the General himself sitting there with a rather commanding presence.

The man in question stood up from his chair the second I entered the room, his metal half letting out audible sounds in response to the sudden movement. "Ah, you're here. It's good to finally make your acquaintance." He said as he held out his hand. "My name is James Ironwood, I'm the General of the Atlas Army, as well as the Headmaster of Atlas Academy."

"Pleasure," I said while shaking the metal hand of the general.

"I've heard quite a bit about you. You gave the staff back in Beacon quite the story to tell I have to say. After all, it's not every day you meet one of the Eleven Great Knights of the White Kingdom." Ironwood said, causing me to make a mental note in my head that there Eleven Spirits in total.

"Yeah, not something I expected either, though here I am," I said while reaching into my pocket in order to grab the relic that was given to me by the spirit. Once the introductions were out of the way, the general turned his head towards the woman.

"Let's get down to business. We have quite the eventful day coming up." He said as he walked over towards the wooden desk at the end of the room. "I'm sure you both are rather curious as to why I specifically called the two of you over to my office," Ironwood said.

"It's crossed our minds," Mary said while placing one of her hands on her hip.

"Then allow me to get straight to the point." The general said while he sat down on the chair at the end of his desk. "It's the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss. She's being rather complicated with some of the steps when it comes to the security of this fundraiser." He said.

"What do you mean complicated?" I asked through the cloth on my face.

"It seems that the young girl is keen to follow in the footsteps of her dear sister, Winter," Ironwood said, causing the head of the Archeologist to perk up in response to his statement.

"She wants to become a Huntress?" Mary asked while the general nodded his head.

"That's right, and she believes that this supposed attempt on her life would be a good opportunity to test her skills. She's denied nearly every bodyguard that was offered to her by her father. "She also believes that these bodyguards have an agenda of their own, and to be honest I don't blame her for thinking that."

"Damn it. That kid's gonna get herself killed at this rate." She said before she began to pace around the room. "Can't you just remove Winter from her post as head of security?" Mary questioned.

"No, that task is too important to be revoked. I cannot endanger the lives of innocent people in order to ensure the security of one." Ironwood said, much to the dismay of the Huntress.

"So what do you want us to do? You want us to guard the Heiress during the fundraiser?" The Archeologist asked.

"No, I'll need as many Huntsmen and Huntresses as I can possibly get on the front lines. However..." The general began as his eyes shifted over in my direction. "You are not a Huntsmen if I recall correctly." He said.

"...Seriously?" She asked as she moved her head back and forth between the two of us.

"I am, legally I cannot hire any of the Huntsmen here for a job like this. As you know, all missions are sent out and approved by the council." Ironwood said. "However, not much could be done if I were to hire a mercenary." He said.

"Tell me, how much do you know about Vale's Huntsmen school?" Ironwood questioned.

"Oh, well I suppose I know the general basics of what it's like. I mean, I do live with one of its instructors after all." I said while pointing my thumb at the Huntress in question.

"All the more reason to hire you. It seems the Heiress has taken quite the interest towards the Kingdom's School." The General said, causing the Archeologist to stare at him with a rather confused expression.

"Why? Wouldn't it make more sense to study in her own Kingdom?" Mary asked.

"I cannot speak for her motives. I can only guess that her reasons for going to a Huntsmen Academy in the first place are similar to that of her sister." Ironwood said with a frown on his face. "Though enough of that for the time being. Do you accept the job of guarding the Heiress of the Company for the duration of the fundraiser?" He asked.

"What makes you think I'm so cut out for the job?" I asked with my arms crossed.

"For one, I believe she will be more willing to trust someone her age. Not only that, though perhaps she will be less reluctant to accept a bodyguard that isn't offered to her by her father." Ironwood said. "You have something that no one here in the Academy has."

"Right," I said while tapping the tip of one of my fingers against my skull.

"Exactly, though keep that hidden from her. As far as the public knows, those stories are just fables and myths told to children." He said. "Though it will be reassuring to me that such a powerful entity is protecting the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."

"What makes you think it's so powerful?" I asked.

"It certainly spooked Ozpin to a certain extent. There are only a select few things in this world that could do that, things that I cannot discuss the two of you openly." Ironwood said, reffering towards the ongoing war that only a select few people know about. "So do you accept the offer? Rest assured you will be paid up front for your efforts." He said.

"Money up front? Now, this I could get used to." I said with a chuckle, though before I could accept the deal given to me by the man himself, I could feel the hand of the woman grasp my shoulder.

"Can you just give us a moment?" She asked as she dragged me outside of Ironwoods office, leaving him rather confused. "Are you sure about this?" The Archeologist questioned once she was certain Ironwood couldn't hear us.

"It's not like this is the first time I've been entrusted with guard duty. It wasn't exactly to guard a single person, though it was guard duty none the less," I said, however, she didn't seem to happy with this response.

"That isn't what I meant." She growled. "We aren't just going to be dealing with monsters here, we're going to be dealing with intelligent and sentient beings," Mary said with a serious expression.

"I'm aware," I said as I crossed my arms.

"You're not exactly fit for battles where it involves direct confrontation with people with firearms." She said. "Remember, you don't have an aura to protect you like we do, one bullet to the head and that's it for you."

"Then why did you bring me here if you had your doubts on whether or not I'd survive?" I asked. "Besides, it's not like I can't dodge or block these bullets. I've been getting good with deflecting them with the blade, there's also the possibility that Shade will come in to block the attack."

"Because I thought we would be able to work together, that I'd be able to keep an eye out for you in case things get bad," Mary said. "Besides, these aren't just some street thugs we'll be dealing with. Each District has its own elite team of White Fang members, each of them would give a Huntsmen a bit of trouble."

"Not only that but I wouldn't put my trust in a spirit that's only slightly responsive towards less than fatal shots. Because eventually, those wounds will come back around, and not in the good way mind you." She said.

"Look, this isn't the first time I've been in situations like this. If things get bad then I'll know what to do." I said as I reached for the doorknob, though the Huntress quickly pushed me away before I could enter the room.

"You keep talking about how you're so experienced in situations like this, though you've yet to actually tell me how or why you are." She said with a suspicious glare.

"As I said, I don't like talking about the times before we met. It's something I want to put behind me." I said. "I don't ask you about your personal problems, so the least you can do is give me the same courtesy."

"..." Her expression became a little softer upon hearing my request.

"Look, the only reason I'm doing this is that I made a promise to some people from back before. Once all is said and done, once I get the money I need we go our separate ways." I said. "So just worry about how you're going to handle your job, and I'll worry about handling mine." We stood there in silence for a few moments, though eventually, the Huntress broke it.

"What was the promise you made?" She asked, causing me to exhale deeply in response.

"...That's none of your business." I merely responded without staring back up at her, though I could tell that she wasn't really happy with my response. It was more disappointment than anything.

"Right," Mary said. "Look, if you think you can handle it then there isn't a lot I can do to convince you otherwise. All I'm saying is to be careful out there, these aren't just some street thugs."

"I know what we're dealing with," I said as I grasped the doorknob to Ironwood's office with my right hand. Once we entered the room, I could hear the General speaking to someone on the earpiece that he had.

"Be safe, stay out of sight." He said before he moved his hand away from the communication device in his ear. "Have you considered the job?" Ironwood questioned, acting as if nothing had ever happened.

It was a bit suspicious, though I shrugged it off once I closed the door. "I'll take the job, as long as you have the payment you promised," I said as I walked over towards the Generals desk.

The man nodded in response before he reached under his desk in order to pull out a Clip of Lien from one of the drawers. "Here you are. This should suffice as payment for the job you're doing." He said while I took the clip out of his hand.

After shuffling through the cards, the amount came down to about fifty thousand. It seems outlandish for a simple guard job, though on the other hand, I was protecting the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company.

However, considering how important she would be in the events to come, I should be getting more. Though right now I'll just take what I can get and do the job that I was assigned to do.

"The fundraiser begins tomorrow morning. Make sure you get plenty of rest. The two of you will need it for the events to come." Ironwood said as we made our way out of his office.

"Follow me," Mary said as she pulled out a slip of paper with a set of directions on it. I nodded my head and proceeded to follow her close behind her, though little did either of us know that there was someone eavesdropping on our conversation from within the shadows.

"..." It was rather difficult to spot the figure, as they were perfectly blending in with the color of the wall. Once they were certain that nobody was down the hallways, they began to head towards the exit as silently as they could.

 _ **...**_

While members of the Atlas Military, as well as the Huntsmen and Huntresses that had begun to prepare for the day of the fundraiser from within the secure city of Atlas, people from within Mantle, the city resting below Atlas, had been making preparations of their own.

The city of Mantle was large, almost as large as the settlement above it, which made it easier for unwanted visitors to slip past the border security. However, even the people of Mantle weren't very fond of the White Fang, so laying low proved to be quite the challenge for the organization.

At least, that's what would happen if they had decided to make their base of opperation in the city itself. It would just so happen that there was a rather large piece of land that they could use for a hideout, with plenty of individuals who were more than happy to lie on their behalf.

This place was known as the Schnee Mines, one of the largest quarries of uncut dust in the entire world, a place that just so happens to be directly under the Kingdom of Atlas, and while the name may sound pure and innocent on the surface, it becomes rather ugly and tainted once one delves deeper into the pit.

You see, slavery against the Faunus race was outlawed after the Great War, as it was one of the many conditions all Kingdoms had to follow once the treaty was signed. Some were able to adapt rather easily, though the Kingdoms of Atlas and Mistral were less than keen on giving up such a practice.

It is still an uphill battle for other Faunus Right's movements, though the Kingdom of Mistral has made a recent stride in changing the public view on the race in question by putting Leo Lionheart, a Lion like being, into the position as headmaster of the academy.

Though Atlas is by far one of the worst offenders of Faunus Discrimination by far. While it may not be legal to enslave their race anymore, the owner of the Schnee Dust Company might as well use this form of labor.

Faunus who work in the Schnee Mines are paid very little for the work that they do and are provided with no form of care by the Schnee Dust Company. Though legally, this does not violate the conditions that were issued in the treaty.

As long as they are paid for the work that they do, no lawsuits could be passed against the company in question. Those who wish to turn away from the harsh labor of the mines can only do so under the approval of Jacques himself.

However, the animal-like humans aren't the only residents who work in the mines. Under the jurisdiction of the Council, prisoners from the detainment centers in the Kingdom can work in order to pay the bail given to them by the group of leaders in question.

This made the Schnee Mines a harsh place to work in, and the perfect place for the White Fang to plan out their assault against the Schnee Family. Things were relatively normal in the depths of the mines, though many of the members of the White Fang were either dressed as security or were hiding within some of the more enclosed areas of the quarry.

Many of the Faunus were more then willing to cover for the movement if it meant the Schnee's get assassinated. One of the workers was currently racing through the mines with two loaves of bread in his arms, though he failed to notice the two guards that were coming from around the corner, which in turn caused him to crash into one of them.

"Agh!" He yelled as he fell to the ground, causing the pastries he had in his arms to fall onto the ground.

"Watch where you're going!" The guard said as the man in question got up from off the ground while the other merely watched in silence. Though before he could do anything to the worker, he was quickly stopped by two other guards.

"Take it easy. We'll take it from here. You're needed in the main facility." The female guard one on the right said to the duo. The size difference between the two was rather massive, the silent one standing at seven feet tall.

The man was still rather angered at the worker, though he eventually made his way over towards the exit of the caverns they were in. Once the duo was certain that they wouldn't be heard, the female guard quickly took off her hat and kneeled down to face the bruised man.

"Are you okay?" She asked while helping the man up.

"..." He was still rather skeptical of the duo before him, though his doubts were quickly dismissed once the woman revealed a set of fangs from within her mouth. "Good to see you." The worker said while shaking the hand of the White Fang member in front of him.

"You too. Did everyone make it back to base safely?" She asked.

"A few of the operatives you sent out are still within the Kingdom of Atlas." He said, though before he could continue giving his report on the situation at hand, the sound of footsteps could be heard from behind him.

The woman in the security outfit pulled out the standard issued pistol and pointed it at the source of the noise, though once she saw the mask that was usually worn by members of the Vale District, she quickly lowered her weapon.

"Everything is in order." She said while taking off her mask to reveal a set of gray eyes. "The three of you should head back to base, we still have a lot of work ahead of us." The girl said as the worker and the woman nodded before delving deeper into the mines.

The mask the girl wore was custom made in order to signify her status amongst the members of the Fang. She was one of the elite members that had been posted in the Kingdom of Vale.

She was a Chameleon Faunus, one that went by the name of Ilia Amitola. The young girl was very devoted to the cause of the White Fang, though, despite that, these mines brought back some rather bitter memories from her youth.

"Are you alright?" The large man asked while walking next to her.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. It's just being in these mines are bringing back some not so pleasant memories." Ilia said with a rather serious expression on her face. "I lost my parents to these mines after all."

"Yes, I do remember you speaking of them from time to time. They sounded like wonderful people." The man said.

"They were." She said as she clenched her fist. "Though I'd rather not talk about it if you don't mind. Right now I'd rather focus on the task at hand." Ilia said before she put her mask back on.

"Right. The High Leader is planning to give a speech to the masses back at our base of operation." The man said as he started to walk towards the caverns. The Chameleon Faunus nodded and followed the White Fang member down the path.

It took them quite some time to traverse the caves leading to the base the other members of the Fang had set up, as most of the pathways had been caved in due to mining incidents of the past, though the duo eventually arrived at a large open area.

This was originally meant to be an expansion for the mines, though due to some unfortunate circumstances regarding explosives, it was abandoned by the Schnee Dust Company. In turn, this made it a perfect hideout for the White Fang to plan their assault on the Schnee Dust Company.

Many of the members of the White Fang were preparing their weapons for the oncoming assault while others were tending to the workers that were abused from within the mines themselves.

The two walked inside one of the larger structures from within the large cavern in order to meet with the leader of the White Fang in the Vale District, Adam Taurus.

Once the two walked into the building, they could see the two individuals standing from within the structure. "Ahem." Ilia cleared her throat in order to grab the attention of the duo in question.

"Hmm? Ah! You're back." Adam said as he walked over to face the member of the elite squad. "I take it your scouting mission was successful?" He questioned the Chameleon Faunus.

"It was, and I have some developments to report." She said, causing the man to stare at her with a curious expression. "The Schnee Heiress will not be without a guard, the General has paid off a Mercenary to keep watch."

"I see. To think that the General of the Atlas Army would stoop to such levels. How many guards are there?" Adam asked.

"As far as I can tell. Just the one." She said as everyone in the room stared at her with rather perplexed expressions from underneath their masks. "...Don't look at me like that! I'm just as confused as you are!" Ilia said.

"That can't be right. Why would they only hire one guard to protect the Schnee Dust Company's Heiress?" The large man asked.

"You got me there," Ilia said while rubbing the back of her head.

"Hmm, perhaps they believe that one is all they will need." Adam theorized. "We are going to be fighting against some of the world's top Huntsmen tomorrow. Not only that, but we know next to nothing about this individual."

"Tell me, did you happen to see what this person looked like?" The Bull Faunus asked.

"No, their face was completely covered up in clothing. I didn't even see what color his skin was." She said. "All I know is that their seriously strong since the General is putting so much trust into them."

"Hmm. Then perhaps we should change the plan to adapt to this sudden change." He said before his gaze fell onto the large man in front of the door. "Can I trust you with the task of dealing with this guard?" The leader questioned while walking over towards the man in question.

"Consider it done." He said.

"What about you? Will you be able to deal with the Heiress?" Adam questioned the unknown person on the other side of the room. They were currently resting their back up against the wall while staring at the group.

"The rumors are true after all. The Heiress had been training to become a Huntress, and the Schnee's are well known for having powerful semblances." Ilia warned, however, this didn't seem to phase the person at all.

"I'll be fine. I've been doing training of my own." A female voice said as she started to walk towards the group.

"...Very well." Adam said before he turned his head towards one of the windows to see the members of the White Fang gathering over towards the end of the cavern. "Other members of the Fang are gathering. Sienna Khan must be preparing to give her speech." He said, causing the members of the group to nod as they followed the rest of the Gang towards the end of the cavern.

Every member of the Vale, Mistral and Atlas District had gathered near the end. Unfortunately, the Vacuo District of the White Fang had some more pressing matter at their own homefront, so they were unable to aid their fellow brothers and sisters in the battle.

High Leader Sienna Khan, Adam Taurus and Rufus Capricorn had all gathered at the top of one of the large structures of the cave. Murmurs could be heard all throughout the crowd, though they were quickly silenced once the High Leader made her way towards the edge of the structure.

"May I have your attention." She announced to the members of the White Fang. "This is it, tomorrow will mark the day where our kind will claim a victory over humanity. Tomorrow, we shall free our brothers and sisters who have been made slaves by the Kingdom of Atlas."

"We are not a terrorist group, we are not animals who need to be locked in cages, we are not monsters. For as long as we can remember, we have been beaten down by mankind."

"Our founder had hoped for peace amongst the humans, that perhaps we could coexist amongst them as equals. Though I knew that such a thing was not possible." Sienna Khan said.

"If we wish to attain our freedom, to break free from the shackles that bind us, we must learn to fight back. We did not start this war, though we will most certainly be the ones to finish it." She said.

"For if humans will not give us the freedom we deserve, then we will have to take it ourselves!" She said as she pumped her fist into the air, causing everyone to roar in response.

With a prideful smirk on her face, she turned away from the crowd and proceeded to walk towards the ladder leading back down to the ground. "I take it your elites are ready for the mission?" Sienna Khan asked the two leaders.

"They await your command," Capricorn said to the High Leader.

"What's the status on your team?" She questioned the Bull Faunus.

"Do not worry. They are more than capable of dealing with whatever may come our way. I take it you will be joining us in our skirmish against the Schnee Dust Company?" Adam asked.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." She said with a smirk on her face. Once the speech was done, the leader of the White Fang in Vale made his way over towards one of the structures near the side of the cavern.

Once he entered the building, he could see a large group of White Fang member gathered at the center of the room. Ilia and the other figure covered in black were sitting on a couch next to one another.

There was a rather large man behind the sofa on the other side of the room, even larger than the man from before. He was easily eight feet tall, perhaps even taller in some scenarios. The Fanged Faunus from before was also amongst the group of people from within the room.

Finally, there were two other elite members who had been conversing with the large man behind the sofa. Both of them had colors that complimented one another, though one was noticeably taller than the other.

They were all going about their business as usual, though once Adam walked into the room, everyone turned their attention towards the leader in question. "I take it that you all are ready for the battle tomorrow." The leader questioned, causing everyone to nod their heads in their own respective manner.

"Good, you all know your roles." He said as he walked out of the building.

 _ **...**_

I had to wake up relatively early due to the preparations that needed to be made for the fundraiser. It was mainly for security purposes, though at the moment I was currently on my way over towards Ironwood's main office.

The Huntress and I had gone our separate way, as we both had relatively different jobs to do. The hallways of the main building were rather quiet, the only sound that could be heard was the echo of my footsteps.

Under normal circumstances, I would be rather bitter this early in the morning, however, these were not normal circumstances. In all honesty, I didn't get as much sleep as I had hoped for, as the constant thought of what could happen today kept me from settling.

It took quite some time, though I eventually found myself standing in front of the doors leading to the office of James Ironwood himself. I went to knock on the surface of the entrance, though before my hand could reach the wooden plank, the sound of a young girl yelling could be heard from the other side of the door.

"I thought I made it perfectly clear that I didn't need a bodyguard!" I heard an all to familiar voice say. "Need I remind you that I have been undergoing rigorous training ever since this whole fundraiser was announced?!" There was no mistaking it, that was indeed the voice of the future member of team RWBY.

Weiss Schnee.

"These aren't like the other assassins that you have encountered before! This is the White Fang! The entire organization will be after not only your head but the heads of the rest of your family!" Ironwood countered.

"I'm not some helpless little princess! I can take care of myself!" Weiss argued. "I have a duty to uphold, I have to honor the Schnee family name, and I will not allow some terrorist group to strike me down now."

"I do not doubt your abilities. The Schnee's have managed to surprise me on more than a few occasions, though I am just taking precautions." Ironwood said in a more calm tone than before.

Seeing as this argument was going nowhere, I decided to make my presence known by knocking on the door to the General's office. The conversation ceased once they heard the sound in question.

"You may enter," Ironwood said.

With the permission of the general at hand, I grasped onto the doorknob of the office and stepped inside. I could see the man in question standing behind his desk, though the one that really caught my attention was the young girl standing in front of the man.

Her gaze was cold, and I could tell that she was less than pleased with the arrangments that had been made. "Ah! Good, you're here. Now we can begin discussing the plan of action for today." The General said as he sat down in his chair.

"Allow me to introduce you to the Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss Schnee." He introduced. "Miss Schnee, this man will be your bodyguard for the duration of the fundraiser."

"Hmph." She huffed while turning her head away. I didn't want to say anything that would provoke her, so I decided to tolerate her attitude for the time being. Once I sat down in the chair next to the Heiress, the General proceeded to speak to both of us.

"Let's get down to business. I'm sure you were given plenty of information about this event beforehand, Miss Schnee, though allow me to run the details over you once more." He said.

"If you must," Weiss said, clearly not happy at the fact that she would be hearing this information once again.

"You will make your way over towards the Schnee Family Theater. Once we arrived, the two of you will make your way towards the backstage. I will read the speech I have written down to the crowd, and the concert will begin." Ironwood said.

"We need to be prepared for anything. Security will be at an all-time high during this event." He said. "That's about the gist of what will be happening during this event, are there any questions?"

"..." The two of us merely sat there in silence in response.

"Good, allow me to escort the two of you towards the airship you will be flying it. We have to cover quite the amount of distance." Ironwood said as he got up from his chair and proceeded to walk towards the door.

"Try not to get in my way." The Heiress snapped while she followed the General.

With nothing left to do, I proceeded to follow the duo out of the office and towards the airship that would take us to the theater where the fundraiser would be held. Once we actually got on the airship, the two of us sat from within the comfort of the custom made aircraft in relative silence.

The Heiress was browsing through her Scroll, her eyes darting from left to right as she read the latest news from within the Kingdom of Atlas. Though I also noticed that she had a tab on Beacon Academy, though that was to be expected.

It was rather awkward in the ship, though right now I wasn't exactly keen on starting a conversation with her. However, I heard Weiss let out an audible sigh as she closed the scroll she had in her hands.

"You know, I would at least like to know the face of my bodyguard," Weiss said with her arms crossed.

"My job is to keep you safe, not to engage in conversation with you," I responded without looking at the girl in question. The Schnee didn't seem to be too happy with this response.

"Our synergy as a team will be better if we are more acquainted with one another." She said. "I do not like this situation anymore then you do." The Heiress said, her cold expression still plastered on her face.

"Listen, I already got paid for this job in advance. My job is to make sure you survive the events to come." I said. "Once this whole thing is said and done, we don't have to speak to each other ever again."

"So is that the only reason you accepted this job? Because the pay was high?" Weiss questioned.

"Is that a problem?" I asked.

"...No, actually." She said with a sense of relief washing over her. "I can't even begin to count how many people have tried to use my name or my status to their advantage," Weiss said.

"So in a way, it's relieving to hear that you're just in it for the money," Weiss said. "Though I can't say I appreciate the attitude you've been giving me up until this point." She said, reverting back to her cold exterior.

I let out a sigh of frustration and proceeded to take off the pieces of clothing that I had wrapped around my face, with the exception of my hat of course. Once I placed my goggles and scarf to the side, I turned around to face the Heiress directly.

The Heiress stared at me with an expression of complete shock on her face. "How old are you?!" She questioned.

"Sixteen," I responded casually.

"So you're my age. That was the last thing I expected when I heard that I was assigned a bodyguard." Weiss said as she took the time to process this new set of information that was presented before her.

"What were you expecting?" I asked her as I crossed my arms.

"Not you. Are you some sort of Huntsmen in training?" She asked.

"No, I'm a mercenary," I answered, though that only seemed to spawn even more questions from the Heiress.

"Why is someone your age engaging in that sort of lifestyle?" Weiss asked.

"Unlike you, we aren't just handed money from our peers. Some of us actually have to work in order to put food on the table." I responded. "Though do you have any room to talk? I mean, Huntsmen and Mercenaries aren't too far off when you really think about it."

"How dare you! Huntsmen and Huntresses are far more honorable and noble than any of you mercenaries!" Weiss responded in a rather angered tone as she jabbed her finger at my chest. "Hold on, how do you know I want to be a Huntress?" She asked.

"I heard you and the general arguing from the office earlier," I responded, though this didn't seem to calm her down if anything it only made her more furious then ever before.

"You were eavesdropping?!" She asked.

"I suppose if that's what you want to call it, then sure, I was eavesdropping," I responded nonchalantly.

"The nerve of you! Have you no respect for the privacy of other people?!" Weiss asked, her face beginning to turn red from anger. "Also, what did you mean by how I just have things handed to me, that I don't know know how to work for something?!"

While that wasn't what I said exactly, the message clearly got through to her. "I'm saying that you've got it pretty easy when compared to other people," I said.

"Is that so?! What do you know about my life?! How could you possibly know what I've been through?!" She roared.

"Well, unlike some people, your future is all but guaranteed," I responded. "Let's say you aren't cut out for the role of a Huntsmen, you still have options available to you," I said as Weiss's glare got nastier and nastier.

"I'm sure you've lived your whole life in comfort and security. So I ask you this, who are you to complain about how your life is going? You're the Heiress to one of the most successful companies in the world." I said.

At this moment, her expression switched from angered and rage-filled to cold and calculated. Though her glare remained the same none the less. "Shut the hell up you bastard," Weiss said.

Her sudden potty mouth took me by surprise, and her voice was filled with nothing but venom. "What do you know about what I've been through? The struggles I've had to face? Do you say my name is a blessing? Well, I say it's a curse that's been tainted by greed."

"So I ask you again. What in the hell makes you think you know anything about what I've been through?" She asked.

"A lifestyle where you don't know who's genuine and who has an agenda? Correct me if I'm wrong, though life like that would make anyone a little lonely." I said, causing the Heiress's eyes to shoot open in response.

We stood there in a cold silence for a short while as Weiss stood there. She couldn't believe it, she couldn't believe that someone had been able to read her so easily, and in such a short amount of time.

"Hate me all you want, it doesn't matter to me at the end of the day. Though know this, I've been nothing but honest with you. I could care less about your family name." I said. "At the end of the day, the only reason I'm even here is that I was paid to be here."

Her glare was no longer plastered on her face, rather an expression of complete loss replaced it. I could tell that she wanted to say something, though nothing seemed to be coming out.

A few more moments of silence passed until we eventually heard the pilot's voice coming from the speakers in the ship. _"This is your captain speaking. We will be arriving at the theater shortly, please prepare for landing."_ He said.

"Looks like we're here," I said as I proceeded to put on my goggles and scarf. The Heiress stood there in silence for a few more moments, though she eventually snapped back into reality in order to prepare for the fundraiser.

 _ **...**_

Everything seemed to be going relatively smooth for the most part, Winter had been ordering around the Atlas Military alongside the Huntsmen and Huntresses that had been gathered as extra protection.

Many of the guests have already arrived, many of them were people who had donated to the cause beforehand, members of the Atlas Military who had fought in the Battle for Helios, as well as the families of the soldiers who lost their lives during the battle.

Weiss and I were currently in a large open area from within the building, though so far she hasn't said anything to me since our last conversation. Perhaps I was a little too harsh on her, though she had to hear it from someone.

She was currently practicing her singing in order to prepare for the concert that was only moments away from starting. No surprise, she was singing the song that many were all too familiar with.

Mirror Mirror, which had two parts as a matter of fact. Hearing it through a set of speakers was one thing, though hearing it from the singer herself was a whole different experience entirely.

Sure there wasn't a piano playing in the background, though it was still nice to hear none the less. I found myself humming the tune to the song myself, which caught the attention of the Heiress in question.

"Are you familiar with this song?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, I am," I said as I turned around to face the girl. "Can't say I'm a huge fan of classical music, though there are a few exceptions."

"I see, well thank you." She said. "Though don't think this means we're on good terms."

"Didn't think it did," I responded before going about my business once again. Things were relatively quiet, though eventually, Weiss stopped practicing her singing for the time being.

I turned around to see her jabbing at the air with her rapier, sweat flying off of her forehead and into the air around her. She continued doing this for a few moments, though she suddenly stopped once she jabbed at the air once again.

"...Fight me." Weiss requested.

"No," I responded, causing the Heiress to stumble forward a bit in response.

"Wha-?! At least think about it before turning it down!" She said. "Why not?! We're both fighters, so let's see who's the better of the two of us!" Weiss demanded while stomping her foot on the ground.

"It would be better if you save your strength for people who actually want to fight you," I suggested.

"For all we know we could be blowing the whole ordeal with the White Fang out of proportion!" Weiss said. "So draw your sword and fight me!" She ordered, though I merely turned my head away from her in response.

"Are you-?! Don't you dare turn your back on me!" She yelled.

I was about to call her out once again, though my thought process was quickly cut off once I saw the Heiress lunge at me with her blade. Though before she could thrust forwards, Shade quickly punched her across the jaw, causing her to go flying across the room.

"Damn it! Will you calm down already?!" I yelled.

She didn't know that if her blade had actually made contact with my skin, it would go through it rather then bounce off of it. Shade responds to potentially life-threatening attacks, so naturally, he would see Weiss as one of those said enemies.

"What in the worlds was that? I could barely even see what hit me!" Weiss groaned as she rubbed her cheek. At this rate, the Heiress would only continue to attempt to initiate combat, and in the process would only take further punishment from the spirit.

I swore under my breath as I realized I had no other option at this point. "Fine," I said as I prepared myself for combat. I pointed my blade over in her direction before I got into my combat stance.

"What in the world are you doing?" Weiss asked with a rather perplexed expression on her face.

"I'm getting ready to fight, what else would I be doing?" I asked.

"With that stance?" She questioned.

"As much as it pains me to say, not all of us went to some fancy sword school. Some of us had to learn the hard way on how to fight, so excuse me if my stance is a little rough around the edges." I responded while gripping the handle of the blade tightly.

"I didn't go to a school to learn how to fight. I learned from my sister." She responded before she charged over in my direction. The sounds of our blades clashing could be heard from the halls, though people were to busy with the fundraiser to notice.

"Rah!" I roared as I jumped into the air and slammed the edge of my blade up against the surface of Weiss's rapier. In turn, she jabbed the tip of the blade over in my direction, though I parried the attack with the surface of the sword.

Once I had successfully dodged the attack, I pushed my blade forwards, forcing her to block the attack with the use of her own rapier. She went tumbling back a few feet, though she kept her footing surprisingly.

The Heiress breathed heavily for a few moments, though she eventually got up from off the ground. Once I was certain she was ready for combat once again, I charged forwards, causing the Heiress to do the same.

We clashed blades once again before eventually coming to a struggle for power. I slammed my gloved hand on the blade in hopes to overwhelm her, though she was surprisingly strong.

However, before we could initiate the next stage of the fight, the sound of an explosion could be heard from outside of the theater. Before either of us could question what was going on, a shadow peering from above us quickly grabbed our attention.

"Get back!" I yelled as I kicked the girl out of the way of the oncoming attack. I jumped back in order to dodge the large broadsword that threatened to slice both of us in half.

Once I landed on the ground, I could see two White Fang members standing in front of us with their weapons drawn. One member was a large hulking man, with a sword to compliment his height and strength.

"Figures," I swore under my breath while I dusted myself off. "You okay back there?!" I asked.

"Did you really have to kick me?!" She asked.

"Enough of that! You deal with that one! I'll deal with the big guy here!" I yelled while running over towards the large man in question. He seemed taken aback for some reason, though he shook his head and proceeded to block my oncoming attack with his blade.

"Right!" She said as she proceeded to prepare for combat. Once I landed on the ground, the large White Fang member attempted to strike at me with his own blade, though I quickly parried the attack and kicked the man in the stomach with the force of Shade behind the attack.

He seemed rather dazed, which in turn gave me an opportunity to continue the assault. Though before my blade could reach him, he quickly regained his composure just in time to block the attack. We continued to exchange blows for a short while, though the large man eventually got the upper hand in the fight by slamming his foot onto the ground beneath my feet.

I stumbled back a few feet, which gave the member of the White Fang an opportunity to grab onto one of my legs with his right hand. With no time to react, he proceeded to throw me across the room while charging forward's with his blade.

Still a little dazed, I threw my fist at the thin air, though Shade was still able to tell where our target was. Within a split of a second, he rammed his fist into the chest of the man, causing the air to get knocked out of his lungs.

Once I landed on the ground, I grabbed onto the arm of the man and proceeded to slam him into the ground with as much strength as I could muster. Though gravity did play a fairly large part in the exchange as well.

However, he was as durable as he looked and proceeded to let out a rather animalistic roar while his aura flared to life. I growled and charged forwards with the blade at my side.

Grasping onto his own sword, he swung the edge of the blade over in my direction, causing the pieces of metal to clash once. He attempted to swing his sword at me once again, though having such a large blade means it was that much harder to swing.

I slashed and jabbed at the chest and stomach of the large man, whether it was with my sword or hand to hand didn't really matter at the moment. However, he seemed to read the pattern of attack that I was using and proceeded to step back a bit.

He swung his fist at my chest, causing me to go flying back a few feet. Though the man wasn't about to let this advantage pass him, he let out a mighty roar and proceeded to charge forwards, the ground beneath him cracking under his sheer weight.

The man swung his blade rapidly, though I was just barely able to block each of his attacks. Eventually, an opening to attack presented itself, which caused me to parry the large piece of metal before slamming the fist of Shade onto the cheek of the man.

His mask made an audible crack as he stumbled back a few feet. I was about to use this opportunity to initiate the next stage of the battle, though once I caught a glimpse of who it was that was under the mask, I quickly froze in place.

"No way..." I muttered under my breath while the man attempted to regain his composure. He had lightly tanned skin and brown eyes, as well as shaved-short black hair from behind his mask.

The man was about to charge forwards once again, though he quickly stopped himself once I removed my scarf and goggles. "It's you!" He said as his blade began to shake due to the sudden fear that was started to fester in his heart.

Before I could question the familiar face on what he was doing here, he slammed his foot onto the ground, blinding my vision with a dust cloud of his own making. I quickly put my goggles and scarf back on and proceeded to give chase.

"Where are you going?!" Weiss asked while she continued to fight the unknown member of the White Fang.

"Keep that one busy! I'm going after the big guy!" I yelled back as I ran after the man in question. The alarms echoed throughout the hallway, though at the moment I didn't pay them much attention.

To be honest, I was still in disbelief as to what I had just seen, though there was no mistake about it, I may not be good with names though I never forget a face when I see one.

I just fought the one and only Yatsuhashi Daichi.

 _ **...**_

 _ **With that, another chapter of our story comes to a close. Now arriving at the Kingdom of Atlas, a city that overshadows the once great city of Mantle, our hero sought out to protect the young Heiress during the fundraiser event.**_

 _ **However, he did not expect that he would be directly involved with the protection of the girl in question. Things between the two were tense even before they met, though now they were at an all-time high.**_

 _ **Though with that in mind, they managed to put aside their grievances with one another in order to fight a common foe. Just as the General had suspected, the White Fang took the opportunity to cut off the Schnee bloodline, once and for all.**_

 _ **During one of many skirmishes, however, it was revealed that an old friend of our hero was secretly a member of the White Fang. Now at a crossroad, our hero must determine what to do with this new piece of information, as well as how to approach the inevitable confrontation with the man.**_

 _ **Though that is a story for another day.**_

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: Confrontation**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Ruby's Guide to The World of Remnant**_

 _ **White Fang**_

 _ **The monsters of our world aren't the only threats you should be looking out for. These guys were once a peaceful organization that fought for the rights and freedom of the Faunus, and I'm inclined to agree with their cause.**_

 ** _People should stop treating them like animals, though now they've been doing some pretty nasty things. They've been hurting people to get what they want, which is something I don't understand._**

 ** _Not every problem can be solved through combat, sometimes it's just better to talk through issues. Though my Uncle and Dad say that it's more complicated than that._**

 ** _Maybe one day I'll understand what they mean when they say that, though I still believe that we can live peacefully with them. We do it in Patch after all, so who's to say the rest of the world can't do it?_**

 ** _Stay Safe and Happy Hunting!_**


	12. Confrontation

_**The Story so Far... Many different battles can be fought throughout one's life, whether it be ones that require one to rise up to the challenge in order to best a foe in combat or to come to terms with some rather difficult decisions.**_

 _ **After all, not all battles are won through sheer strength alone, some require you to take a rather different approach, some confrontations are a test of one's principles and values, rather than a simple test of combat prowess.**_

 _ **One such battle has been presented before our hero during the fundraiser from within the Cold Kingdom of Atlas. A security job that was meant to be so simple turned into something far more complicated.**_

 ** _A new found friend that was made a month ago, Yatsuhashi Daichi, had decided to make a sudden appearance during the preparations for the concert. However, it was not to aid our hero in the upcoming battle, rather it was to assist an unknown fighter in the elimination of the Schnee Family._**

 ** _Once the giant found out that the person he was fighting was none other than his new found friend, he quickly made his escape from the battle in hopes to lose our hero._**

 ** _Though there were many questions going through our hero's mind, ones that needed to be answered by the man himself. Leaving the Heiress to fend for herself against the unknown warrior, the two set out to fight their own battle._**

 ** _..._**

 _ **Confrontation**_

 _One month ago_

The Festival of Might and Will, an event held in order to honor the Last King of Vale, King Arthur. It was a day that many looked forward to, though a large man known as Yatsuhashi Daichi had other plans involving the Festival.

He may be a student of Beacon Academy, a Huntsmen School located in the main city of Vale, though before he pledged his being to protect the people of this world from the Creatures of Grimm, he was once a member of the White Fang, a Faunas Rights movement established shortly after the Great War.

Perhaps that was a poor choice of words, however, as the man still was a member of the group in question. Though he found himself questioning the actions made by the Fang more and more as time went on.

The movement was rather peaceful once, though ever since their last leader, Ghira Belladonna, stepped down from his position as High Leader, the newest leader, Sienna Khan, had a more brutal approach to achieving their goal.

He wanted to remain diligent towards the cause, as he did believe in what the movement stood for. The giant wished to seek further training in hopes that he could become a greater asset towards the cause of the Fang.

Though the man didn't expect the sheer scale of the adventures he would go on during his time at the Academy. He had met many wonderful people during his studies, one such person being a fellow Faunus named Velvet Scarletina.

While it may be true that the man didn't particularly dislike humans nearly as much as some of the other members of the Fang did, he did admit that having someone of his own species as his partner did put him at ease sometimes.

However, his absence from the White Fang was cut short once he got a message from one of his fellow sisters, a girl named Ilia Amitola. She was once a member of the Mistral District of the White Fang, though decided to transfer about a year ago.

The man was told to meet her in the courtyard during The Festival of Might and Will. Though many were gathered during the festival, so it was rather difficult to locate the girl in question, especially since she could very easily pass for a human.

On the other hand, he didn't' have too much room to talk. The only thing indicating that he was part of the animal like race in the first place was the set of fangs that he had from within his mouth.

Though at least he was rather easy to spot, after all, it wasn't every day that you met a man that stood at seven feet tall. However, his fellow sister was a Chameleon Faunus, meaning it could be nearly impossible to find her from within a large crowd.

Which means that she would have to find him rather than wait for the man to locate her. The giant decided to participate in the Battle Royale that would take place in the center of the plaza.

He wasn't particularly fond of combat as much as others were, though he was more than willing to partake in some friendly competition. So far, there weren't too many combatants that had caught his eye, though he would eventually come across a rather strange boy during the second fight for the Battle Royale.

Someone named Brandon had managed to grab the attention of the man with his rather strange powers. He was deceptively strong for his size and stature, though there were times where he swore that he was out of his range.

Once the battle was over, the man sought out the boy in hopes to question him on his rather strange abilities. However, he did not expect to get wrapped up in the situation the boy was dealing with.

The man was willing to help the boy deal with the job he was currently doing, though their conversation was interrupted once he caught a glimpse of the girl he was supposed to meet standing in a nearby alleyway.

He could tell that his new found friend was trying to locate the source of his sudden change of attitude. "Hmm, hold on. This is something that I must attend to." He said as he stood up from the booth they were sitting at in order to walk towards the area where he last saw his fellow sister.

The boy was still rather confused as to what he was talking about, though he quickly shrugged it off and proceeded to unwrap the contents of the bag that was given to him before the two had met.

Once he was certain that the boy would not follow him, he kept making his way further through the crowd of people until he eventually managed to make his way through the alleyway where he had seen the girl in question. It was rather quiet, the loud murmurs coming from the crowd could be heard echoing throughout the alleyway, as well as a stray cat that was resting on one of the boxes.

"You took your time." The sound of the Chameleon Faunus's voice could from behind him. Upon further inspection, Yatsuhashi could see that the girl was blending in with the color of the wall in order to remain hidden.

"Well, you are not an easy one to find. I thought it would be best if you located me instead." He responded with his arms crossed while Ilia proceeded to change her skin back to its original dark color.

"I guess it doesn't matter now." She said while letting out an audible sigh. "So do you know why I called you here?" Ilia questioned, causing the man to shake his head in response.

"Right, well I'm sure you've heard, though the Schnee's are holding some sort of fundraiser in order to get some money to help with the repairs for Helios." The girl explained to the giant of a man.

"Hmm, yes I heard about what happened during the battle. I can only hope that the families of those who were lost find closure in this tragedy." Yatsuhashi said with his eyes closed.

"Yeah, real tragedy all right," Ilia said in a rather dry and sarcastic tone. "Though that's not why I called you over here. Every member of the Schnee Family will be present during the whole event." She said.

"I see." The giant responded.

"Security is gonna be at an all-time high during the event. They're even pulling some of the security from the Schnee Mines in order to make sure things go smoothly." Ilia said. "Which means a rare opportunity is about to present itself."

"Hmm, and what would that be?" He asked.

"Think about it. Security will be more focused on keeping the Schnee's safe then guarding the workers. This could be our chance to free the workers who have slaved in those damned mines for god knows how long!" She said.

He stared at the girl with a rather serious expression, as he knew that this was more personal for her. "That's great to hear. I will be more than willing to lend you my sword for this upcoming battle." He said while shifting his face to a more softer look.

"Good to hear. We're also gonna use this opportunity to kill the members of the Schnee Family." She said, though that part of the plan really didn't sit well with the giant of a man.

"Every member of the family?" He questioned.

"That's what I meant. You don't sound to on board with the idea." Ilia said with a rather displeased expression.

"Do not be mistaken. Jaques Schnee has committed more crimes against our people than anyone in history. Though do you believe that the sins of the father should be passed down to his children and wife?" Yatsuhashi asked.

"I don't exactly see any of them lifting any fingers for our kind. The wife has had plenty of chances to stop her husband, though she's wasted every single one of them. The Eldest probably has some level of say on their business practices." She said.

"What of the two youngest ones?" He asked while clenching his fist. He was hoping that she would stop at the oldest child of the CEO, as well as his wife, though perhaps that was just wishful thinking.

"I did say all the members. So they fall into the category as well." She said.

"Even the Heiress? You know that she isn't that much younger then we are." He said. "Don't you believe that she should get a chance to change the ways of her company?" He questioned, though the girl didn't seem too pleased with this suggestion of his.

"You can't be serious. She's the Heiress to the company. Her father has probably been planting all these ideas about how to run the company. We have to take both of them down, otherwise, we'll just be dealing with another monster." She said.

"You don't know that's how she'll turn out." He said.

"Right, I don't. Maybe she'll be the exception, though I don't know about you, I'm not about to risk the lives of our people on the what if." Ilia said. "We can't take any chances here."

"What of the youngest? He's no older than twelve years old!" Yatsuhashi said while raising his voice.

"I feel like I'm repeating myself at this point," Ilia growled.

"He's just a child!" He shouted.

"Would you keep your voice down?! We'll get caught at this rate!" The Chameleon Faunus said in hopes to calm the giant down. It took a few moments, though the man eventually regained his composure. "Do you think I like the fact that we're killing a child? Do you think anyone in the Fang takes pleasure in killing children?!" She hissed.

"That's not what I meant." He said.

"Look, I don't know what you've been learning in that Academy up on the hill, though sometimes lives need to be taken in order to preserve others! Think about it! Once the Schnees are gone and we've freed all those Faunus from the mines then it may very well take decades before someone similar rises again." She said. "Though we'll be more than ready to deal with them at that point."

The man clenched his fist tightly while closing his eyes, he didn't agree with this part of the plan. It went against everything he stood for, it went against the very vow he made once he became a Huntsmen in Training.

"Look, if you don't want to do this then nobody's forcing you to. I'm just here to give you the offer." Ilia said.

"...I will be there. Though I do not agree with what we are doing." Yatsuhashi said.

"We've been getting a lot of people who think the same way. Though we're not here to discuss morals and principles. We have a job to do, you either do it or you don't." Ilia said to the man.

"I suppose so. When will we be setting out for Atlas?" He asked.

"The Fundraiser is about a month from now, we'll be heading out a couple of weeks before the whole event starts. We need to find a place to set up camp while we plan our method of attack." She said. "We're still working out the details of who will be there, though so far we have the Vale, Mistral and Atlas Districts on board with the plan."

"Is that so? There hasn't been a gathering of the districts on this scale ever since Sienna Khan was put into power." He commented. "Though what of the Vacuo District? Will they be there as well?"

"We're not sure, to be honest. Though either way, we should have more than enough fighters to stage our assault on the mines, as well as the theater where the concert will be held." She said.

"Very well." He said as he proceeded to walk away from the girl. "Be well, Ilia. I shall see you in a months time." The man said as the girl disappeared into the alleyway, leaving him with nothing but his thoughts.

Once he was certain that she was out of sight, he let out an audible sigh while rubbing his temples. He was more than willing to aid his brothers and sisters in the assault on the Schnee Mines, though slaughtering the entire Schnee Family still left him feeling sour.

Though he would remain diligent towards his cause, though it seems as though they were straying further and further away from what they were once fighting for as the days went by.

However, he could worry about that at a later time, for the time being, he needed to prepare for that day. It would no doubt be one of the most hard-fought battles he would have to face in quite some time.

 ** _..._**

 _Present Day_

The alarms rang throughout the hallways as Yatsuhashi ran across the metal floor beneath him, his footsteps echoing throughout the building. This was meant to be a simple mission, one that only required brute strength to complete.

However, now it has turned into something far more complicated. The last thing he had suspected was for one of his newfound friends to appear during the battle, it was something he didn't know how to approach.

So he only did the one thing he could think of at the moment, he made a distraction with the energy he had stored up and proceeded to run away from the battlefield. He had hoped the boy didn't recognize him through the cracks in his mask, though his fears were all but confirmed once he heard the sound of footsteps from behind him.

He continued to run through the building, though the man was quickly cut off once he heard the sound of Ilia's voice coming through the communicator in his ear. _"Goliath! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"_ She asked, though the man quickly took the device out of his ear and slammed it onto the ground.

 _"Damn it! How the hell did this happen?! Why is he even here?! They weren't supposed to get involved in this!"_ He thought to himself as made a sharp turn from around the facility.

Though once he did, he could see two guards posted near the end of the hallway. One of the guards gestured over towards his partner in order to catch his attention, though before either of them could open fire on the man, he used the blunt end of his sword to knock the two out cold.

Once he knew that the two guards were not dead, he made his way further into the facility in hopes to get away from the boy. However, once he was out of sight, the swordsman in question quickly stopped in front of the two guards that the man had recently knocked out.

He had the communicator in his right hand, though unfortunately, it broke upon impact to the ground. The boy frowned upon seeing the two knocked out guards, though he was grateful that they were still alive.

Not only would they be able to help him locate the giant, though it told him that the man he had come to know from the past month was still behind that mask. Despite the fact that he had just attempted to strike him down mere moments ago.

" _You've got a lot of explaining to do."_ Brandon thought himself as he threw the communicator to the side and proceeded to wake up one of the guards.

"Gah!" He yelped as he shot awake. His head darted around in hopes to locate the man that had just knocked him out, though his gaze settled on the boy in front of him.

"You okay? Anything broke?" He questioned through his scarf.

"Huh? Oh, no I don't think so. Who are you? You're not with the Fang, are you?!" The guard asked as he readied his weapon.

The sound of the gun being loaded woke up the second guard. He was rather dazed for a few seconds, though he eventually regained his composure and aimed his weapon at the swordsman.

"Whoa! Take it easy! If I was with the Fang then why would I have woke you two up rather than just killing you?" Brandon asked while holding his hands in the air in hopes to defuse the situation.

"..." The two stood there in silence while keeping their weapons on the boy in front of them. "He does have a point there." He said as the two lowered their weapons, causing the swordsman to lower his arms from the air.

"Fair point. So who are you?" The guard asked.

"No time. Did you see where the man who knocked the both of you out went?" Brandon asked, not really in the mood for small talk at the moment. The two were still rather suspicious of the boy, though for the time being he was their ally.

"Hmm…" He hummed as he pinched his chin. "My vision was pretty faded during the whole ordeal, though I'm pretty sure I saw him go that way." The guard said while pointing in the direction where he last saw the man.

"Got it." He said as he ran off in the direction of the giant in question, leaving the two guards behind him.

"What the hell's going on here?" He asked himself as a group of soldiers ran across the halls.

" _From the looks of it, the General was right to believe that the White Fang would try to kill the members of the Schnee Family."_ Brandon thought to himself while briefly looking back to where he had left the Heiress.

He contemplated going back for a short while, though he shook his head and continued to follow the path that the two guards had set him on. Weiss was more than capable of handling herself in this situation, not only that but this may very well be the only opportunity to question the giant.

His secret was out, and there was no way he would ever be able to interact with him again without some form of caution being issued. The boy cursed to himself and proceeded to follow the gunfire that was being followed by roars from the man in question.

It took quite a bit of time, though he eventually made his way over towards some sort of storage room. There were various cracks in the wall, as well as cut marks on the various crates.

He could hear the sound of his friend breathing heavily from behind the crates. Once he turned the corner, the sounds of the boy's footsteps reached the ears of the giant, causing him to turn towards the swordsman with his weapon at his side.

Though before the boy could even utter a word, the Spirit of Shade quickly deflected an oncoming bullet. Once the gunshot was fired, Brandon quickly turned around while pulling the sword of the spirit out from its sheath.

"Damnit." A female voice swore as she jumped down to the ground.

He pointed his sword at her with a serious expression under his scarf. Once the girl stepped into the faint light that was shining through the window above, the giant gripped his sword tightly.

"Ilia." He said from underneath his mask.

"Looks like we're ditching the code names for the time being." She growled as she stared at the human in front of her. The girl was about to fire another bullet at the boy, though the giant quickly stopped her. "This has nothing to do with him. Stand down." Yatsuhashi said.

"..." The girl didn't refrain from pointing her weapon at the human, which only made the tension in the atmosphere all the more noticeable.

"Our only targets are the Schnee's. Nobody else has to die today." He said with the hopes to defuse the situation.

"Would you mind telling me what the hell is going on here?" The boy asked the White Fang member in question, and the man was about to answer, though the girl quickly cut him off before he could.

"Yeah, I think I'd like to know too." She said as she turned her attention over towards the giant. "How is it that you two know each other? You don't exactly look like you're from one of the Academies." Ilia said.

"How we know each other is none of your business," Brandon said while gripping his blade tightly. "I'd ask who you were, though to be honest, I don't really care. Though know this, none of the Schnee's will be dying on this night." He said while pointing the tip of the blade towards the Chameleon Faunus,

"You got a problem with that?" He asked, causing the girl to crack her whip in response.

"For a bodyguard, you sure are bad at your job, leaving your client out in the open as you did." She said as parts of her weapons started to glow with a bright yellow light while electricity started to flow from parts of her whip.

"Trust me, Weiss can take care of herself. She's not as defenseless as you originally thought." Brandon said while getting into his combat position.

"Right, if you think that then you clearly have no idea who she's up against. She's up against one of our best fighters, one who doesn't question our methods." She growled while staring at Yatshuashi.

"So the ends justify the means, is that it?" The swordsman asked.

"That's right. We didn't start this battle, though we sure as hell are gonna put an end to it." Ilia said. "Now I think we've had enough time to talk, don't you?" The girl asked while pointing her whip at the boy.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." He said as the two rushed towards one another. The girl's whip also acted as some sort of blade in a sense, though the only way she would be able to cut the boy was with the very tip of the weapon.

Sparks clashed throughout the air once their blades clashed with one another, though Brandon quickly kicked the girl in the gut with his right foot in order to gain the upper hand in the battle.

He used the force of Shade in order to get some extra damage on the girl, and from the looks of it, she wasn't exactly expecting such force behind the attack. She crashed onto one of the crates while clenching her stomach, giving the boy an opportunity to fight back.

Though before his sword could reach the girl, the giant quickly stepped in front of the boy, forcing him to block the oncoming attack. It was very difficult, as the man had him beat in terms of strength by a landslide.

On the other hand, he could tell that his friend wasn't using his full strength, as he knew that only a single chop with his sword would be enough to cut the boy clean in half.

With no other option, Brandon parried the sword strike and pushed his palm forwards in order to push the giant away with the spirit. He landed on the ground with a sudden thud, causing the ground to shake slightly.

"Cease this! I do not wish to fight you!" He said as the swordsman rushed towards him.

"Neither do I! Though I can't just let you do this either!" Brandon yelled while slamming his sword down onto the surface of the man's blade. The two exchanged blows for a few moments, each side trying their best not to do any mortal damage to the other.

"I cannot let you hurt my friend!" Yatsuhashi roared as he jabbed his massive blade over towards the boy, causing him to parry the attack before punching him with the power of the spirit.

"Your friend is trying to kill people!" He said while he swung his blade at the giant, forcing him to block each attack. However, the man noticed that the strikes were getting more and more powerful as time went on, and he eventually noticed that the Spirit he had been seeing for quite some time now was also swinging its own blade.

He swung his blade upwards a couple of times before he gripped the handle with both of his hands and swung it like some sort of baseball bat, causing the man to go flying across the room.

"You don't have to do this." He said as he started to walk towards the man, though before he could continue his assault, he could hear a sudden thud coming from his backside.

Though once he turned around to investigate, the only thing he could see was the sight of the girls mask on the floor. The boy could hear footsteps echoing throughout the room, causing him to grip the blade tightly.

Being in situations like this before, the boy proceeded to pretend to drop his guard in order to lure the girl for another attack. Once she was certain that he wouldn't notice her, the girl lunged forwards in hopes to finish the battle, though just as she got within the range of the boy, the Spirit rammed it's fist onto her chin, causing the girl to fly into the air.

The boy was about to go in for another assault, though Yatsuhashi quickly rammed his shoulder into his side before he could. The giant quickly rushed over towards his partner to see what damages the boy may have caused.

However, the girl merely growled in response before running over towards the swordsman. Brandon swung the bade in her direction, though she merely jumped over the boy in order to dodge.

This, in turn, left her airborne, and completely defenseless. He quickly summoned the Spirit of Shade to come out and ram it's fist into the girl before she could even land on the ground.

 _"Where did that attack even come from?!"_ She thought as she landed on the ground while blending in with the darkness. _"Every time I think I have him, there's always some force that stops me before I can take him down!"_

Once the girl figured out that her usual approach of stealth wouldn't work on this foe, she growled and rushed towards the boy. "Come on!" She yelled over towards the giant.

The man in question hesitated for a few moments, as he was torn between fighting against two of his friends. However, once the battle broke out, he growled and began to swing his sword at the boy.

He grabbed onto his neck and threw him over towards some of the crates, causing an audible thud to echo throughout the room. Ilia aimed her weapon at the boy, though similar to last time, Shade merely blocked the attack with his armored hand.

The giant and the small swordsman started to exchange blows, though even Ilia could tell that the man was holding back on him. "Just end this already! Quit messing around, we have a job to do!" The girl yelled.

Yatsuhashi cursed under his breath while Brandon gave him a rather serious expression. It wasn't one filled with malice or betrayal, it was one that only asked a single question.

Was this what you were fighting for? The boy could see the doubt in the man's eye ever since he cracked his mask, and it was something he was trying to exploit in order to gain the upper hand.

The girl growled and cracked her whip over towards the boy, causing the man to push him out of the way of the attack. The girl was about to question the sudden action, though Brandon used this opportunity to attack the girl.

She tried to throw his balance off by sweeping her leg underneath his own, though he merely jumped up into the air in order to dodge the attack. The girl swung her weapon at the boy as he rolled underneath her before slamming his fist onto her back.

The two continued to clash blades with one another, though if Yatsuhashi couldn't block an attack from the Spirit, then there was no way that Ilia would be able to. With one single swing of his sword, the girl was skidding across the floor while the boy rushed to deliver the final blow.

However, the giant grabbed onto the neck of the boy and proceeded to slam his head onto the ground. A ringing noise echoed throughout his ears as he struggled to remain conscious, though he could just barely hear the conversation that the two White Fang members were having.

"What are you waiting for?! End this already!" She yelled.

The man merely stood there in silence while he gripped onto the neck of his dear friend. A few moments of silenced passed, though eventually, the giant raised his head in order to face the girl.

"Our targets are the members of the Schnee Family. Nobody else has to die today." He said with a serious expression.

"You don't get it, do you? You think I like hurting people, that I like what we're doing?! Though we have to do something! We have to fight back!" She yelled at the man. "So stop playing the middle ground and pick a damn side already!" She roared.

For a moment, everything was silent, not even the sounds of gunshots could be heard from the outside of the room. It was at this moment that everything came together for the man.

He had tried to keep his values and principles intact while still serving under the White Fang, though it was clear now that he wouldn't be able to do this. The man had come to a decision, one that would completely change his life from here on out.

The giant took off his mask and threw it onto the ground right next to Ilia, who in turn stared at the man with an expression of disbelief. "..." The two stared at one another in silence while Yatsuhashi released his grip from the boy's neck.

"So that's your decision. You'd chose this human over your own kind." She growled while gripping her weapon tightly.

"No." He merely responded while Brandon got up from the ground. "I do not wish to betray my own kin, though I will not sit idly by and watch you kill someone who has yet to wrong our kind," Yatsuhashi said.

"What the hell are you talking about? They've-!" She began, though she was quickly cut off by the traitor in question.

"I am well aware of the crimes that Jaques has committed against our people." He said. "Though the sins of the father are not passed down to his children. Do not mistake my intentions, if the opportunity were to present itself, I would not hesitate to cut down the man. However, I will not partake in the slaughter in those who have done nothing wrong."

"Then that makes you our enemy." She growled while glaring at the man before her.

"No, I still view you as a friend. Though I will not let the two of you kill one another." He said to the girl as he slammed his foot onto the ground, causing a small dust cloud to form throughout the room.

"Come, my friend! We must make haste!" He yelled as he grasped onto the hood of the boy tightly.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Brandon asked as he proceeded to run beside the traitor. From the looks of it, the two were actually running away from the exit rather than towards it.

"We need to make our escape!" He yelled while storing up energy from within his arm. Once the energy had reached its maximum capacity, he connected his fist to the wall in front of them, causing a very visible hole to burst open.

The girl tried to stop the duo from leaving the storage room, though the two had already managed to make their way to the outside of the theater. She stared off into the distance with an angered expression, though there was also a hint of sadness in her eyes.

Ilia let out a sigh and made her way over towards her mask before placing it back onto her face. She turned her head towards the direction of where the backstage was, to where the Heiress and her opponent were fighting.

 _"Guess it's all up to you now."_ She thought as she walked off into the darkness, her skin changing color in order to blend in.

 ** _..._**

"Hyah!" Weiss shouted as she slashed at her attacker, though the White Fang member was able to dodge it was relative ease. The figure pulled out some sort of pistol and proceeded to fire various types of bullets at the Schnee, causing her to use one of her Glyphs as a shield.

 _"This one's better then I thought."_ She thought to herself.

The assassin's gun transformed into a blade of some sort and rushed over towards Weiss, forcing the Heiress to flip backward's in order to dodge the attack. Once the landed on her feet, she readied her weapon and rushed down the person in front of her.

She flipped through the air and landed on the ground, causing the assassin to take the opportunity to go on the offensive. However, it would take more than that to best the girl, as she dodged the attack and slashed at the abdomen of the figure.

Once they stumbled backward's a few feet, Weiss proceeded to rapidly jab her rapier onto the body of the assassin, though the assassin kicked her away in order to open the gap between the two.

Weiss could faintly hear the tone of voice from behind the mask of the attacker, and it was rather feminine. The Heiress was about to rush down the girl once again, though once her rapier made contact with her, she suddenly vanished.

Before she could question what happened, the girl slashed at her back with the blade she had, causing her to stumble forwards a few feet. The girl attempted to go in for another attack, though the Heiress quickly blocked it with her rapier.

The assassin growled and placed her blade back into its sheath before pulling it back out again, revealing a larger and thicker blade. Due to the sheer size of the blade, Weiss was knocked back a few feet, though before she could begin her counter-attack, the girl was quick to slash at her once again.

She managed to dodge the first few attacks, though the girl seemingly just appeared behind her once again, leaving her open for another blow. Using her Glyphs, the Heiress proceeded to dash around the girl, slashing and jabbing at her each time she passed the assassin.

The girl was about to counter, though Weiss summoned another Glyph in order to remain airborne. She proceeded to slash and jab at the girl once she landed on the ground, however, the assassin was able to parry each of the attacks.

Weiss growled and shot up in the air with the help of her semblance, catching the girl off guard. Using another Glyph, she rushed down the girl from within the air, though the girl was able to counter her attack by swinging her blade up into the air, causing her to fall to the ground.

The Heiress stood up and readied a Fire Dust chamber from within her rapier. While this was going on, the assassin took the opportunity to reload her weapon in order to prepare for the next phase of the fight.

Once both combatants were ready, Weiss proceeded to fire various fireballs at the girl, though the assassin was able to block each attack as she closed the gap between them.

She slashed at the girl, though she managed to dodge the attack just in time. The assassin swore under her breath and slammed her blade onto the ground before slashing at the girl once again.

The girl took out her blade and proceeded to use both it and the sheath as weapons to use against the Schnee. The Heiress used her Glyphs to slide backward's without losing her footing, though the girl was able to keep up with her with the help of her own semblance.

Once she had Weiss cornered, she kicked her up into the air, though the Heiress quickly used a combination of Dust and Glyphs to make some sort of explosion, causing the girl to go flying through the wall.

Weiss ran out into the hallway with a confident smirk on her face, though her confidence was quickly shot down once she saw the girl from the corner of her eye. Taking a deep breath, she proceeded to prepare for the oncoming attack from the girl.

The Heiress jabbed at the girl, though once again, she seemingly vanished once again. However, the girl wouldn't fall for the same trick twice in a row. She started to rapidly jab at the assassin, though she was had seemingly mastered everything there was to learn about her semblance as she vanished once again.

Once again, she turned around to see the assassin rushing towards her. The Heiress parried a few attacks, though she was eventually knocked back a few feet by the sudden kick from the girl.

The two slashed and jabbed at one another while using their semblances in hopes to get the upper hand in the battle. Weiss threw her rapier at the girl, though before the assassin could grab it, the Heiress dashed forwards and jammed the tip into the ground, causing various icicles to spawn.

She had seemingly impaled the girl, though she vanished once again, leaving Weiss to look around the hallway in hopes to locate her attacker. It took her a few moments, though she eventually located her attacker, though by that point it was too late, the girl had already rammed her boot onto the face of the girl.

Before she could even have time to react, the assassin proceeded to kick Weiss through one of the windows from the backstage, causing her to land on the ground with an audible thud.

Once she regained her composure, she looked up to see the assassin jumping through the shattered window with her two blades in hand. The Heiress growled and readied herself for the next stage of the battle.

 _ **...**_

"Squad A! Head towards the lower district of the mines!" One of the guards ordered throughout the mayhem of the mines. It started with some sort of revolt with the prisoners, though the next thing they knew it, the entire Atlas District of the White Fang had begun some sort of assault.

They were managing to keep the entrance to the mines rather secured, though they were losing ground rather quickly. It wouldn't be long before they started to lose the entirety of the Schnee Mines to the Fang.

"Damnit! We need reinforcements! We can't push back the threat at this rate!" One of the guards shouted.

"We already called for backup from the surface! They're sending what they can, though it seems they're getting hit pretty hard up there!" He said.

The guard was about to shout out more orders to his troops, though the sight of a White Fang member rushing towards him with a sword quickly cut him off. His life would have been over right at that moment, though a bullet came from the blind spot of the member and pierced through his skull, causing his lifeless body to fall down to the ground.

Once the two troops turned around to see who had fired the shot that killed the man, they could see General Ironwood standing in front of the two with a serious expression on his face.

Various soldiers started to make their way through the mines, the commanders shouting out orders for squads to follow.

"General Ironwood!" The two men shouted as they saluted the commanding officer.

"At ease. Now tell me the situation." He said to the duo as he pulled back the hammer to his revolver in order to prepare for any other threats that may appear. Once the two guards regained their composure, they proceeded to explain what was going on in the mines.

"It's the White Fang, sir! They've infiltrated the Schnee Mines! The workers are staging a revolt against the staff!" One of them said.

"It isn't just the Atlas District either! Vale and Mistral have gathered here as well!" He said. "I've even heard rumors of the presence of High Leader Sienna Khan!" The guard explained, causing the General to stare at the man with a rather curious expression

"Sienna Khan? Now that is peculiar. What in the world is the High Leader doing here?" He questioned.

"We aren't sure. Though some of the staff believe that the leaders are trying to free the workers of the mines, as well as destroy the caves in the caverns!" One of the guards said to the General.

"Right. Gather all the staff here, do whatever you have to do to stop them from caving in the mines!" Ironwood commanded as he walked past the two.

In all honesty, Ironwood wasn't too particularly concerned with some of the workers leaving this place. It wasn't exactly a safe place to work, and their pay was far to low for anyone to make an honest living.

He would speak up about the businesses practices with Jacques, however, the man wasn't legally violating any of the terms that were set in the treaty that was signed at the end of the Great War.

The only thing he could do now was to make sure that one of the world's largest supply of Dust didn't crumble to the ground beneath them. However, before the General could continue with his plan of action, a sudden explosion echoed throughout the air.

"What was that?!" One of the guards questioned.

Ironwood looked up to the sky to see where the source of the explosion was coming from, as the man was able to tell that the noise had come from above them. Upon further inspection, he could see the smoke coming from the theater where the fundraiser was being held.

The man gripped the handle of his revolver tightly, as his suspicions were confirmed. He had hoped that he was just being paranoid, though he just couldn't have been one hundred percent certain about it.

James quickly activated his communicator in order to contact Winter Schnee, and after a few moments of silence, the man could eventually hear the sound of her coming from the communicator in his ear.

 _"General!"_ Winter said on the other side of the line.

"Schnee! What's the status of your team?!" Ironwood questioned.

 _"Things are not looking good up in the Kingdom! It's not just the Atlas District of the White Fang! Vale and Mistral are here as well. The charge is being led by the High Leader, Sienna Khan!"_ The Specialist said.

"I know. The Fang have invaded the Schnee Mines below the city, it seems the extermination of the Schnee's was only to distract us from their true intentions." Ironwood said.

 _"This doesn't make sense! I thought we had come to a compromise with the Atlas District of the White Fang!"_ The specialist said, reffering to the time that Ironwood had attempted to stop the conflict between the White Fang and the Atlas Military.

"As did I, though as you can see, it wasn't enough to satisfy them," Ironwood said.

 _"I will come down with my team at once. You will need all the assistance you can get down there."_ Winter said.

"No! I need you to stay up on the surface! You need to protect your family at all costs!" The General ordered. "I will secure the mines, do not leave your post under any circumstances! Understood?!"

 _"Yes, sir!"_ The woman said as the call was cut off.

 _"I suppose the time for peace talks is over. I had once_ hoped _that a compromise could be reached, though now I see that such a thing isn't possible."_ Ironwood thought to himself. _"I have a duty, not just as the General of the Atlas Army, though as a Huntsmen it is my solemn vow to protect the people of this world. Even if it is from themselves."_

Meanwhile, the battle in the City of Atlas raged on, both sides fighting to achieve the goal that they had set out to accomplish. Even with the Huntsmen at the helm of the battle, things were still rather complicated.

Both sides had very capable fighters, though the White Fang had the element of surprise on their side, as some of them were disguised as the staff from within the building.

This meant that they not only had to worry about an assault from the outside of the theater, though there was also the looming threat of what was within the structure. To make things more complicated, most of the Atlas Military had to be sent down to the Mines in order to secure them.

Meaning that the only thing standing in the way of the Fang and the Schnee's were the various Huntsmen and Huntresses gathered at the theater, as well as the security staff for the company itself.

One such Huntress was a woman named Mary, who was currently running down the halls of the building in hopes to control the situation in some way. _"Looks like Ironwood was right."_ Mary thought to herself as she scanned the area around her.

 _"Wonder how the kid is holding up."_ She said internally while the alarms echoed throughout the halls. However, just as she was about to turn the corner, some sort of rocket shot past her, causing her to roll out of the way of the oncoming attack.

The woman turned around to see a group of White Fang members walking towards her. They all had custom made masks on, telling the Archeologist that they weren't just the average grunt.

"You missed." One of the members said to the large man, causing him to grunt in response. "Take a look at the emblem on that watch of hers. That's the Beacon Academy crest." He said.

"Looks like it." The large man said as his partner turned towards two White Fang members, each with varying masks to signify their rank. "You there! Take care of this one! We have other matters to attend to!" He said as the two men nodded while the duo proceeded to run towards the woman.

She puffed out her cheeks in preparation to let loose the energy she had just stored up, though the man quickly shot another rocket from his large hammer, causing the Huntress to jump back in order to avoid the blast.

The woman growled and turned around in order to stop the duo from getting past her, though her attention was quickly drawn away once she saw a group of White Fang members run towards her.

 _"Figures."_ She internally swore as she let out all the energy she had stored up in her body, causing it to take the form of a raging fire. Though the flames were easily extinguished by the White Fang Lieutenant that was leading the group.

"All of you be careful. This one is a trained Huntress." The man said to the group, causing them all to nod as they prepared for the oncoming battle. The Archeologist in question started to analyze the group that was currently surrounding her.

There were a few grunts, though she noticed about two members that stuck out amongst the group. He had a rather brutish outfit, as well as a set of tattoos on his right arm along with a chainsaw.

A few moments of silence passed, though Mary merely slammed her fist onto the ground with the stored up energy she had in order to scatter the group. She decided it would have been best to take down the grunts first, as she wanted to save most of the energy she had for the tougher members of the group.

The woman rushed over towards two of the grunts and proceeded to kick one of them right across the head before sweeping her leg under the other one in order to slam him onto the ground.

Once the group recovered from their dazed state, they pointed their weapons at the Huntress. However, she started to form another ball of energy in her hands in order to block the oncoming attacks, and once the group was within her range, she jumped up into the air and threw the ball right in the middle of the Fang members.

She continued to rush down any and all grunts that stood in her way with relative ease until all that remained was the White Fang Lieutenants. The man began to rev up his respective weapon, causing the sound to echo throughout the halls.

Mary merely cracked her knuckles and got into her combat stance. The Lieutenant rushed towards her with his respective weapons at hand, causing the woman to go on the defense for the time being.

He attempted to pierce through the Archeologist, though she merely parried each attempt to attack her. The man growled and his her in the head with the brunt of his weapon, though this didn't do too much damage to the woman.

She got up and moved out of the way of the chainsaw that was being swung in her direction. The man swung the massive saw backward's, though she merely created a shield in order to block the attack.

The Lieutenant growled and proceeded to slam the saw downwards, though the woman merely parried it before hitting the man a small burst of energy in the direction of the man. It took quite a bit of effort for the man in question, though no matter what they did, they weren't able to break past the woman's defenses.

Growing impatient, the man started to rapidly swing his saw before he kicked the woman back, causing her to slam against the wall. Though suddenly, the air started to feel cold and before he could even react, the Lieutenant was encased in a shell of ice.

The Archeologist was about to continue onwards, though the man was somehow able to break out of the ice. "Don't think this is over!" He roared as he charged forwards, causing the woman to clench her once again.

With a single roar, the White Fang Lieutenant ran over towards the woman as he scraped his chainsaw against the ground. The two continued to exchange blows until the woman eventually kicked the man back, causing him to slam into the wall.

Just as his vision had returned to him, the man could see the Archeolgoust rushing towards him while a spiral of energy surrounded her fist. He attempted to use his aura to block the attack, though it was able to shred through it with ease, causing a massive explosion to ring throughout the area.

Once the woman was certain that the man wouldn't be able to fight anymore, she proceeded to walk away from him. _"Now that this is taken care of."_ She began as she picked up the pace. _"Time to find the boy."_

 _ **...**_

The two of us continued to walk through the outside of the theater in relative silence, as neither of us knew what to say towards the other. There was a rather serious expression in the eyes of the giant, making the air rather tense.

We both had our own respective weapons at the ready, just in case, we ran into any more trouble during this night.

However, the man gripped his blade tightly and turned his head over in my direction. "Have you nothing to say?" The giant questioned as we continued to walk through the night.

"What else is there to say?" I asked rather bluntly.

"You discover that I am secretly part of the White Fang organization, one that is now well known for its brutal methods of achieving their goals. Do you not have questions?" Yatsuhashi asked.

I merely sighed in response before I ran ahead of the man in question. "Of course I have questions. It's only natural I have questions after what just happened back there." I said.

"Though we're not exactly in a situation where we can have a fairly long conversation. We can have our talk later, though right now let's just focus on the task at hand." I explained to the man with a serious expression on my face.

He was still rather tense, though he figured that there was some logic within my statement. The giant nodded his head and proceeded to walk ahead, though there was still some tension in the air.

Though just as we were about to move towards the next building leading towards the backstage of the theater, the man quickly held his hand up in order to stop me in my tracks.

"Hold on. We're being followed." The man said, causing both of us to get into our combat positions. A few moments of silence passed, though the girl simply known as Ilia eventually revealed herself from the shadows.

"Ilia," Yatsuhashi said as he gripped the handle of his blade tightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you even need to ask that? You know how the White Fang feels about traitors." Ilia growled as she readied her weapon for combat. "Loyalty is everything in the Fang. Though clearly, that didn't mean much to you in the first place."

"It doesn't have to be like this. We don't have to fight each other." He said while grilling the handle of his blade tightly.

"You chose your fate when you walked away back there." The Chameleon Faunus said with a glare.

"...I suppose I did." Yatsuhashi said as he swung his weapon forwards, causing a small shockwave to spread throughout the area. "Though despite that, I do not wish to fight you. However, it seems that I do not have a choice."

"Don't worry," I said while I patted the large man on the back with my free hand. "I've got your back." The three of us stood there in relative silence before we eventually charged towards one another.

It wasn't too long ago that I was struggling to fend off both the Chameleon and the Giant, though now that the odds were stacked in our favor, fending off Ilia wasn't too much of an issue.

Yatsuhashi was able to sense her whenever she tried to use the darkness to her advantage, and a sneak attack was pretty much impossible with the Spirit watching over the two of us. We continued to fight the girl until Yatsuhashi grabbed her by the neck and threw her over towards a large open space, causing dust to pick up from where she had landed.

However, while I was rather content with how the battle was going, the giant had a rather suspicious expression on his face. _"Something's wrong."_ He thought to himself while gripping the handle of his blade tightly.

"Stop this, Ilia. You cannot defeat us on your own." The giant warned as the two of us walked through the darkness. However, the girl was able to get up from off the ground in order to face both of us.

"Maybe not. Though good thing I'm not alone." She said, and before either of us could react, a sudden force could be felt from behind us, throwing the two of us into the air in the process.

Once we landed on the ground, we looked up to engage the new threat. However, once the giant got a slight glimpse of who we were up against, his expression shifted into that of shock.

"Sorry, we're late. Had a little trouble on the trip here." The smaller of the two men said through his mask.

"Better now then never." The girl growled while dusting herself off.

The two new opponents both had unique masks, as well as their own respective outfits. One was rather large, even taller than the man standing by my side, while the other one was significantly shorter.

A rather large hammer rested on the shoulders of the large man, while the smaller one had some sort of sword. "Who are these guys?" I questioned the man who seemingly recognized who these two were.

"This isn't good. Now we're up against some of the White Fang's best fighters." He whispered. "They're part of the team of Elite members from within the Vale District. They are not to be underestimated."

"You think we can take them?" I whispered back.

"I don't believe we have a choice in the matter." The man growled while getting ready for the battle to come.

"So who are we dealing with?" The large man questioned while gripping his hammer tightly. "You told us of a traitor, yet when I look upon our enemy, I see two individuals." He said.

"Yeah, come on Ilia, you've gotta give us all the details before we come rushing to help you. My sister ain't exactly gonna be happy that I ditched her back there." The man said to the Chameleon Faunus.

"Just be quiet and listen for a second," Ilia growled as she turned her head towards the two of us.

"That right there is the traitor I told you about." She said while pointing at the giant. "He's the bodyguard for the Schnee, the one that he was supposed to deal with." The girl said, causing me to turn my head towards the giant with a questioning expression.

"I was unaware that it was you. If I had known what I know now, I would have never accepted this task." He explained.

Though before we could continue our brief conversation, we were quickly cut off by the sight of the large man charging towards us with his hammer at his side. We were just narrowly able to dodge the oncoming attack, though the other Elite Fang member was already on our tails.

"You two handle it from here! I've got a direct call from our leader to answer to!" The Chameleon yelled as she jumped on top of one of the buildings.

"Don't worry! We got this covered!" The man as his partner started to fire various rockets over in our direction. The two of us proceeded to deflect and block each of the rockets while making our way towards the duo.

I was able to get up close to the duo with the help of the giant, though the man with the sword quickly blocked the oncoming attack that was meant for the larger man. All of a sudden, the swordsman disappeared, leaving the two of us to deal with the large man.

The Elite member charged towards us with his mighty hammer in tow, though while he was swinging the large piece of metal, the other member of the Elite Team suddenly appeared behind the giant.

I blocked the oncoming strike from the backside of the man, while Yatsuhashi parried the hammer strike that was coming our way. I was about to move in for a counter attack, though the man disappeared once again.

The large man grunted and proceeded to swing his hammer in our direction once again, only this time he used the thruster on the back of the hammer for extra power in his strike. It took every ounce of energy the man had to block the attack, though before I could assist him in the battle, the man with the sword quickly appeared once again, forcing me to use the armor of Shade to block the attack.

More rockets were fired in our direction, causing the giant to grab me before jumping into the air. With a loud roar, the man threw his massive blade at the man with the hammer, though he was able to block the attack with relative ease.

I reached out and used the power of the spirit to throw the blade back over to Yatsuhashi. Once he caught the blade, the man with the sword appeared once again, though this time his blade was glowing with some sort of white light.

We all charged towards one another with our respective weapons in tow, the giant decided to take on the larger member of the Elite team, while I took on the other one. Once our weapons clashed with one another, the ground started to break apart from beneath us.

The two of us were sent back a few feet as a result of the force of the clash, though the giant was quick to keep up the pressure. He used some of the built-up energy he got from the clash and created two waves of energy, though the man with the sword was able to parry the attacks with relative ease.

I narrowed my eyes for a few moments before a plan hatched in my mind. It wasn't exactly one that would completely change the tide of the battle, though it was a plan none the less.

"Make a little noise. Once their attention is drawn towards you, I'll go in for a strike." I whispered over to the man, causing him to nod his head as he proceeded to throw more waves of energy at the two.

 _"What are they up to now?"_ The large man questioned as he parried the waves, though he failed to notice that I had used the smoke that was created from the blast in order to get behind the duo.

Both of them turned around in order to counter my sneak attack, though the giant quickly rushed over towards the duo. I was able to land a solid blow on the swordsman with the force of the spirit while Yatsuhashi was able to strike at the man with the remaining energy he had left.

We continued to use this strategy in hopes to overwhelm the duo, whether it be the sheer strength of the man pushing them back or the use of the energy he was gathering from the various strikes.

I would continue to strike at the two men with the Spirit, each attack damaging the environment around us in some shape or form. I was able to get on top of the man with the hammer in order to deliver a rather devastating blow, though he was still able to stand none the less.

We became more aggressive with our attacks, as the tide of the battle shifted enough for us to go on the offensive. However, the duo was able to pick up on the pattern that the two of us were using.

Once they figured that out, they were able to start their counter-attack. The swordsman kicked the large man over in my direction, causing the two of us to crash into one another in the process.

The large Elite member of the Fang roared and rammed his hammer into the backside of the giant, sending the both of us flying off into the distance. We were about to crash onto the ground, though I used the armor of Shade in order to break our fall.

"Are you okay, my friend?" Yatsuhashi groaned as he got up from off the ground.

"Not really. Though I'll manage." I responded.

"Good, you're here." We heard a female voice say, causing the two of us to turn out heads towards the source of the voice. "As much as I hate to admit it, I need your help. I won't even ask who your friend is, we have more pressing matters to attend to." The voice was revealed to be Weiss Schnee, who was rather worse for wear.

She was currently fighting the assassin that I had encountered from before, though they didn't seem to be doing very well either. They looked rather surprised once they laid eyes on the giant, however, it was rather hard to say for certain as they were wearing their own unique mask.

"Are you two just going to stand there, or are you going to help me out here?!" She asked in a rather frustrated tone.

"I don't know if you've noticed, though we're dealing with some problems of our own here," I said as I picked up the sword of the spirit.

"What do you-?!" She began, though a sudden thud coming from behind the two of us quickly silenced her. We turned around to see the two members of the Elite Squad of the Vale District of the White Fang standing behind us.

"..." Weiss merely stood there in silence as she now realized she was surrounded by not one, but three rather strong members of the White Fang. "I thought you would take some tension off my shoulders, not put more on!" She hissed as the three of us stood by one another back to back.

"Just be quiet and get ready to fight," I growled as the three White Fang members began to surround us.

"Weiss Schnee." The man with the sword said, grabbing the attention of the Heiress in question. "Your family has committed more crimes against our people than anyone throughout the course of history. I've gotta hand it to you, as morbid as this will sound, that's quite the feat."

"You must be a real scumbag if history picked you as the worst of the worst." He said.

"Someone has to put you savages in your place. It's only natural that the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company would be the one to do so." She said with a rather cold expression.

"Quit provoking them!" I whispered as I gave the girl a light jab.

"Put me in my place? You? Then, by all means, you're more than welcome to try." He said as the three of them charged towards us. The large man attempted to crush us underneath his hammer, though the giant quickly pushed Weiss and me out of the way in order to block the attack.

The man roared as he struggled to push back the Elite member of the White Fang, though the man in question didn't seem to be putting too much effort into the strike. Weiss was about to use one of her Glyphs to aid the giant, though the two other Elite members proceeded to pull out their respective firearms.

We dodged each of the bullets that were being sent our way, though by then Yatsuhashi was able to push back the man with the energy he had saved. However, before we could react, the man with the sword shot an explosive round near our backside, sending us flying forwards in the process.

"My friend!" The giant attempted to rush to our aid, though the man with the hammer grabbed his head and proceeded to throw him towards one of the stone pillars. Though before he could react, I had already closed the gap between the two of us.

I used the power of the spirit in order to give the Faunus a swift kick to the back of the head. He was surprised at the sudden force behind the attack, though he was able to keep his footing none the less.

Weiss started to fire various blasts of fire and ice over at the duo, though the two of them were rather agile. Once they had closed the gap, they charged forwards in order to strike at the duo, though just as her rapier had pierced through the assassin, she disappeared from sight.

She was expecting to see the same old trick as before, though she wasn't expecting to see the giant hammer-wielding man standing right in front of her. With no time to react, the man swept the massive piece of metal underneath the Heiress's feet before kicking her away.

"How in the-?!" I began, though I was quickly silenced once the assassin dug her knee into my jaw. I stumbled back a few feet and attempted to strike at the girl, though she merely ducked under the attack and swept my leg, causing me to fall to the ground.

The giant attempted to slash at the girl, though she merely used her semblance in order to dodge the attack. Her real body suddenly appeared above the man, giving the giant a swift punch to the face before he could react.

I growled and started to exchange blows with the girl. Once I had actually landed a hit on her, she used her semblance in order to dodge the attack, though, in a split second, the Spirit of Shade rammed his fist onto the back of her head.

She slammed on one of the stone pillars while she struggled to power through her now blurred vision. I tried to use this opportunity to strike the girl down, though I was quickly stopped by the other swordsman in the area.

Weiss dodged rocket after rocket, using her Glyphs to slide around the man in hopes to get the upper hand on him. Though no matter how hard she tried, she didn't have a single thing in her arsenal that could cause some serious damage to the colossus.

 _"There is my summoning, though I've never been able to do it properly before!"_ She thought to herself as the man slammed his hammer onto the ground beneath her, causing her to lose her footing.

 _"Damn! I don't have a choice here! I don't stand a chance against this savage either way!"_ Weiss said internally once she landed on the ground. She took a deep breath and created a wall of ice that surrounded the man.

Once he was encased, she started to form the Glyph used for her summoning. She was using everything she had, she was using her very will to live in order to power the Glyph.

Though once she actually completed the actual summoning ritual, the only thing that came out was some sort of white ash instead. "Nice parlor trick." The man said just as he had broken through the ice.

Weiss attempted to block the attack, though the sheer strength of the man was too much for her. "Gah!" She shouted while she flew backward's through the back of the theater.

The assassin had moved onto the traitor, leaving us two swordsmen to stand in front of one another. "You know, I gotta hand it to you lot, you all are stronger than you-!" He began, though in his distracted trance I was easily able to walk up to the man in order to kick him directly in the stomach.

"You talk too much!" I shouted before swinging the blade of the spirit violently, though the man quickly recovered as he had dodged it with ease. We started to exchange blows with one another until we eventually came into some sort of clash.

I roared and slammed my forehead up against the brim of the man's nose before giving him a swift kick with the power of the spirit. However, just as I had begun to walk over towards the man, some sort of fog started to spread throughout the area.

"What the hell?" I muttered under my breath, though I was quickly brought out of my confused state at the rather angered expression of the Elite White Fang member.

Weiss started to dart her head around the area in hopes to locate the man with the hammer. She figured that due to his size, he would have been rather easy to find. Though she was in for a rather rude awakening as the man had easily caught her by surprise.

He slammed his shoulder up against the girl, sending her tumbling through the fog. Once she landed on the ground, the man attempted to crush her with his hammer, however, she was able to dodge just in time.

Though she failed to see the elite coming from behind her, and before she could counter, the man had already slammed his hammer across the Heiress's body. He gave her a few quick blows before using his thrusters to deal a devastating blow.

"I have you!" Yatsuhashi yelled as he used the energy he had stored up to catch the Heiress. "Are you alright?" He questioned, causing the girl to nod weakly as she stepped down from the man's arms.

However, before either of them could come up with any sort of plan, the man had slammed his hammer on the backside of Yatsuhashi, causing him to let out a rather pained cry.

"No!" Weiss shouted, though the giant merely growled as his eyes turned bright green. With every ounce of force and energy he could muster, he rammed his fist on the chin of the man, dealing a rather devastating blow to the man.

"Shit! You-?!" The swordsman began to question the safety of his friend, though I quickly interrupted him with a swift punch to the face. Once he was a good distance away from me, I began to make my way over towards the duo.

"You okay?!" I asked.

"I'll...I'll be fine. I expected nothing less from one of the White Fang's best." He said.

"Do not kid yourself! You aren't fine! You just took a direct hit from that savage's hammer!" Weiss shouted, though before we could continue the argument, the assassin and the man with the hammer started to surround us.

"This guy can seriously take a hit," I commented as the three of us prepared for battle once again. At the corner of my eye, I could see the man with the sword walking towards us with a rather confident smirk.

Once a moment of silence had passed until we all started to scatter, each of us taking our own respective opponent. I was taking on the man from before, while Yatsuhashi and Weiss kept the other two busy.

We ran through the fog until eventually, I attempted to stab the man with the blade, though he was just narrowly able to dodge the attack. He whacked me with the back of his blade, though I was able to recover fairly easily in order to slam the blunt end of the sword against his body.

He desperately searched through the fog in order to locate where I was, though I was just barely able to stay hidden. Though just as I had thought I had the man, he rammed his blade into the ground, causing some sort of white shockwave to push away the fog, as well as throw me off my balance.

The man used this opportunity to kick me directly in the gut, causing the wind to get knocked out of my lungs as I landed on the ground. I groaned while attempting to get up, though I noticed that my pocket was significantly lighter than before.

I froze as I rapidly patted my pockets, desperately trying to find the relic that was given to me by Shade. I moved my head around, secretly hoping that I had lost it during this battle and not some other one.

Sure enough, the relic was resting to my far right, causing me to let out a sigh of relief. Though before I could get up to retrieve it, I noticed that the man with the hammer had caught a glimpse of the strange object.

He kicked away the giant and proceeded to walk towards the wooden object with a rather cautious expression on his face. _"What is this presence? It's faint, though I can feel it none the less."_ The man thought to himself.

The man stared into the hollow eyes of the object, a faint shiver going down his spine as he gazed upon it. _"I do not know what this is. Though I am not keen on finding out!"_ The Elite thought as he raised his hammer up into the air.

"Don't!" I attempted to warn him, though the man had already slammed the large piece of metal in the direction of the relic. All of a sudden, the presence from before became all the more prevalent, as everyone within the general area could feel it now.

Meanwhile, the Fang had managed to gather as much Dust as they possibly could. Resources that would no doubt prove to be useful to their constant war against mankind.

Both Adam and Sienna Khan stood in front of the storage doors as the grunts started to unload the cargo that was being protected by the Schnee Dust Company. Ilia also took part in the battle, though she was still rather upset at the betrayal of her dear friend.

 _"Sienna Khan!"_ The woman could hear one of her own operatives call her name through the communicator in her ear.

"Speak." She commanded.

 _"The opperation was successful! We were able to get some of the workers out from the mines! Unfortunately, many lost their lives during the battle, though they fought and died with honor!"_ The operative said.

"Excellent. What of the state of the mines?" Sienna Khan asked.

 _"I'm afraid that they are still standing. The Atlas Military was far more resourceful then we had originally anticipated."_ He said.

"No matter. All that matters is that the workers are safe and free from that hell. Get them to the ships and leave for the main base of opperation in Mistral at once." She said as she cut off the call.

"We did it," Adam said with a pleased smile. "Today marks a victory for our kind, on this day we won against the threat that has plagued our people for centuries."

"Indeed it does. Though we cannot get complacent. There is still much to be done before we can truly be free from the shackles of humans." Sienna Khan said. "All that's left is to take down the Schnee bloodline and-!" She began, though she was quickly cut off once a rather strange feeling washed over her being.

"..." Everyone stopped in their tracks, as they all could feel the presence of the spirit even from so far away. Nobody knew what to say, nobody knew how to react, all they could do was stand there in silence.

Though after a few moments of silence, the feeling eventually faded from existence, leaving everyone rather aghast. "What in the name of the gods was that?" Adam asked while his hand shook.

"I...I don't know." Sienna Khan said as a drop of sweat dripped down her forehead.

Meanwhile, back at the back of the building, the Spirit of Shade could be seen holding the hammer back while grasping onto the face of the man rather tightly. His eerie white eyes stared into the elite's soul, though his mere presence was enough to make everyone in the area stop whatever they were doing.

Weiss fell to her knee's due to the sheer weight of the spirit that stood before her while the giant pointed his blade at the being. Though it was rather clear that even he was uneasy of the unknown being, as his blade continued to shake in his hand.

The elite tried to speak up, though the Spirit merely punched the man across the courtyard with a rather devastating punch. The air was knocked out of his lungs as his back slammed up against the stone surface.

His allies wanted to call out his name, though no words came out of their mouth. Though after a few moments, the spirit disappeared from sight, along with the feeling of emptiness along with it.

"..." Nobody was sure how to react, even I was still taken aback at the sudden turn of events. However, the two quickly regained their composure and proceeded to run over to aid the man.

"Hey! Don't you dare walk away from us!" Weiss called out, though the group was long gone by the time her words reached their ears. The Heiress huffed in frustration, though was relieved that the battle was over.

"I guess it's over," I commented as I made my way over towards Weiss with a rather curious expression on my face. We were all still shaken by the sudden appearance of the Spirit, though from the looks of it, things were finally starting to ease up.

"That's what it looks like." She said as she turned her head over in my direction. "Now, would you mind explaining to me what the hell that was?!" Weiss shouted.

"Right. Well, it's a bit complicated." I said as I proceeded to tell her about the events that had transpired on that day, purposefully leaving out the details of the job I took from the Archeologist, as well as the mention of the eleven spirits.

"Hmm, I see so not even you know what it is. That's not really reassuring." She said. "Why not get rid of it if it's caused you so much trouble?"

"Believe me, I couldn't even if I tried," I said as I placed the relic back into my pocket.

"...So, you've been to the Academy of Beacon." Weiss said as she shuffled around in place.

"I have. Not really sure what that has to do with anything related to the story I just told you." I said with my arms crossed.

"Well, as you already know from our conversation this morning, I desire to become a Huntress," Weiss said. "I need to bring honor to the Schnee family name."

"Right," I said with one of my eyebrows raised. "So you wanna go to a different Kingdom to represent your family."

"I'm trying to represent my name! Not my family!" She said as she stomped her foot. "...We didn't always have this reputation. We didn't resort to trickery and deceit to get our way." Weiss explained.

"There was a time when we were seen as an honorable family. A time where we were an asset to humanity, to the world." The Heiress said. "My grandfather, Nicholas Schnee, started that reputation. Though my father tainted it ever since he married into this family."

"..."

"So that's why I want to go to Beacon. I want to revive that reputation." She said.

"Hmm, well if that's what you want then who am I to say otherwise?" I said as I started to walk away from the Heiress in question.

"...What do you fight for? What makes you keep going, even after all the struggles you've gone through?" Weiss questioned as I stopped in my tracks.

"...Let's just say it's complicated is all." I simply responded.

"..." She merely nodded her in response. "Thank you." The Heiress said, causing me to stare at her with a confused expression.

"For what?" I asked.

"What do you mean for what?! You helped me fight off those savages!" Weiss said in a frustrated tone. "I'm trying to be nice here!"

"You're welcome," I said as I lightly patted the girl's shoulder. "You should probably go and tell everyone you're still alive. I'm sure there are people out there who are worried about you."

"...Right." Weiss said as she started to walk towards the entrance to the theater. "Perhaps we'll see each other again one day."

"Perhaps. Until then." I said as I waved at the Heiress, causing her to wave back as she entered the building.

Once I was certain she wouldn't be able to hear us, I quickly made my way over towards Yatsuhashi. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"I will be fine. I just need to rest for a few days." He responded as he sat down on the stone floor.

"Come on, we need to go. There are bound to be more people coming our way." I whispered, causing the man to stare at me with a rather confused expression.

"The White Fang is bound to stay here for a couple of weeks while they gather the workers. You need to use that opportunity to get out of here. Not only that but if someone from the Academy sees you here, then that's bound to draw some suspicion our way. That's the last thing we need right now." I said as I helped him up.

The man stood there for a few moments, though he eventually nodded his head. "Very well, I will speak to you back at Vale. Do you have a piece of paper on you?" He asked.

"Oh, I think so," I said as I grabbed a piece of paper out of my pocket.

The giant proceeded to write down some sort of address before he handed it over. "Meet me at this address. We'll talk there." He said.

I looked at the piece of paper that he had just placed into my hands and was about to ask him what this place was, though once I looked up, the man had seemingly vanished.

"Seems to be a common trick with people in the Fang," I commented as I placed the slip of paper into my pocket and proceeded to turn around to walk away.

However, I was quickly stopped at the sight of Mary staring at me with her arms crossed. "Oh. Hey, how did you find me?" I asked.

"Are you kidding? Everyone in the building felt that presence. Wasn't exactly hard to locate you." She said with her arms crossed.

"Guess you got a point there," I said, however, I was caught by surprise once the Huntress placed her hand on my shoulder.

"I was worried about you. I heard about the battle that happened back there." She said.

"Don't get all sentimental with me now. Everything turned out okay." I said.

"...I heard the conversation that you and the Heiress were having." She said.

"...Oh." I simply responded.

"What exactly did you mean when you said things were complicated?" She asked.

"..."

"Look, I'm not gonna force it out of you. Though I really do feel like it will help us as a team." She said. "It'll be good knowing that we can watch our backs."

"...You asked me yesterday what the promise I made was." I said as the woman nodded her head. "It was to a group of friends of mine, I promised them that I would be loyal to what matters. To keep pressing on...even after they're gone." I said.

"...Oh." She said as she finally realized why I didn't really like talking about the past. "What does that mean though? Being loyal to what matters?"

"To be honest? I'm not really One Hundred percent sure myself." I said with a rather saddened expression.

"...I'm sure you've noticed how personal I've been with this whole Merlot situation," Mary said as I merely stared at her with a serious expression.

"It's crossed my mind a few times. Though you didn't exactly pay me to ask questions." I responded.

"Well, that's changing today." The Huntress said. "I...I knew the man before I was a Huntress. To be more specific, I was part of his research team." She said, causing me to do a quick double take.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Yeah. Only a select few people actually knew that I worked on the experiments with the Doctor himself." She said. "Things were tame at first, the only things we actually worked on were Artifical Intelligence Units, though over time things got more and more out of hand."

"That's why I drink and smoke as much as I do. I smoke to ease the pain of what happened ten years ago, and I drink to forget why I'm smoking in the first place." The woman explained. "That's why I need to end this because there's nobody left who can."

"Right, though you're not gonna do it alone," I said to the woman.

"Don't you have questions?" Mary asked.

"Are you kidding? Of course, I have questions. There are way too questions going through my mind to even count. Though I trust that you had your reasons for working with that madman." I said.

The woman stood there in silence for a few moments before nodding. "Right, So let's discuss our next course of action." She said. "I think it's time we actually started digging deeper into the whereabouts of Doctor Merlot."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"I mean that you're ready. We're going to Mountain Glenn, the location of his old laboratory." She said seriously.

Though as everything was coming to a close, and places were being secured, the White Fang basks in the victory that was given to them upon this day.

However, there were some individuals who weren't exactly put at ease with this sudden turn of events.

"They're late." A White Fang member with a similar mark to that of the swordsman from before said as she paced around the room.

"At ease. They are members of the elite squad, they are not so easily vested." Adam said in hopes to reassure the woman.

"Don't act like you didn't feel that presence from earlier! What in the hell even was that?!" She asked.

Though before Adam could answer, the doors leading to the outside of the building flung open, revealing the rest of the members of the elite group.

"Well, you took your sweet time! Why the hell did you ditch me back there?! I was under some pretty heavy-!" The woman began, though the swordsman merely pushed her out the way as he took off his mask before he sat down.

"Whoa, are you okay?!" She asked as she rushed to her brother's side while taking off her own mask. The two had rather similar features, both having brown hair and blue eyes.

The large man took off his mask and slouched in the corner as he clenched his side. He had grey hair and brown eyes.

However, the last one is someone most are rather familiar with. Once she took off her mask, it was revealed that she had black hair and yellow eyes, as well as a set of cat ears.

This girl was known as Blake Belladonna.

"Blake!" Adam and Ilia yelled as they rushed over towards the girl in question.

"What in the hell happened to the three of you?!" She snake question while standing beside the large man.

"That guard. That damn bodyguard." The man said in between gasps. "That guy just wasn't natural."

"What do you mean?" Adam questioned.

"It was that thing he had. He was human, no doubt about that. Though that thing that we saw, it was just…" Blake tried to say, though she was still rather taken aback by the experience.

"Hey, take it easy you guys. Just take a deep breath and just calmly explain to us what happened." She said.

Once everyone had settled down, the three members of the Elite squad began to tell their own versions of what happened that night. "Hmm, interesting," Adam said while absorbing all of the information.

"Can't believe the big guy actually went traitor. I knew he didn't exactly agree with what we were doing, though to go to this extreme." The snake said.

"Never mind that!. What the hell was that thing you three fought?!"

"We don't know! How many times are we gonna have to tell you?!" The brother said.

"Enough!" Adam shouted as the room filled with a rather tense silence. "It has been a long day, it would be wise for everyone to get some rest."

They were all rather reluctant about it, though they eventually decided to listen to their leader and call it in for the night.

 _ **...**_

About a week has passed ever since the whole assault on the theater happens, as well as the revolt going on in the mines. A lot of people lost their lives that day, though luckily none of the Schnee's lost their lives.

Ironwood was currently using his machines to mine the dust that rests from underneath the city. Though this is only a temporary arrangement until Jacques can get some more workers.

As for the two of us, we had one hell of a trip to prepare for. Though right now I needed to meet a friend of mine over at a place called Tukson's Bookstore.

I stood in front of the place with a rather uneasy feeling, as I knew the fate of the owner in question. Though once I took a deep breath, I stepped inside, the bell above the door signaling that a customer has entered.

"Hello?" I called, though, from the looks of it, the entire book store was empty. The door was unlocked, and the sign did say that it was open, so I can only assume that the man was in the back room at the moment.

Once I closed the door, I started to browse the various books that were on the shelves of the store. There was quite the number of books that I've never seen before, even within the library that was in the Huntress's house.

One such book was about the White Queen and her Eleven Great Knight. I looked around for a few moments before I grabbed the book from off of the shelf.

I skimmed through most of the book, as I wanted to get to the part about the Eleven Great Knights. It took me quite some time to get to the part about the Knights, though once I actually came across it, I proceeded to read the entry in question.

 _These Eleven Knights now roam this world in search of a greater challenge._

 _There was the Mighty Hegemol, who's thunderous steps would leave all warriors quaking in their boots. None could match his sheer strength and prowess, making him a force to be reckoned with._

 _The Explorer Conifer, one who seeks to uncover all the secrets and mysteries his world has to offer, as well as decipher ancient texts that were left behind from a world that was long forgotten._

 _The Loyal Ogre, one who is the most loyal towards the White Queen's Kingdom and her people. He would stick to the Kingdom's rule through even the most treacherous of times._

 _The Wandering Slate,_ _one who wanders our realm in search of stories and legends that have been scattered all across the land. Though above all, he searches for a worthy pupil to pass down his teachings to in order to preserve the arts he had learned long ago._

 _The Righteous Kingslayers, two individuals who only wish to strike down those who stray from the path of righteousness. There was once a time that the two were enemies, however, now they are brought together as one under the Queen's rule._

 _The Wise E'Mer, whos desire for knowledge knows no bounds. However, she is also the one who understands the White Queen's rule more than any of the Eleven Great Knights of the White Kingdom,_

 _The Kind Imelda, one whose voice brings comfort to even the most troubled of souls. However, behind her kind demeanor lies the will of a warrior, one that will give everything to protect the ones she deems close to her._

 _The Protector Tiso, one who only seeks to protect the great souls of the White Kingdom. His shield is the wall that keeps the White Kingdom safe from the wandering tribes of a world unknown to us._

 _The Tame Sharp, a monster who was tamed by the White Queen and given free will. Given balance to both his desire for control and his hunger, the spirit now uses these so-called curses to protect the Kingdom._

 _The Absent Quill, one who disappeared to the most peculiar of places, though above all he wanders borders of the Kingdom in order to keep the wandering tribes from breaching the Kingdom's walls._

 _The…_

I was about read the name of the last Knight, though the sound of the back door quickly brought me out of my trance. "Welcome to Tukson's Bookstore! Home to every book under the sun!" He said as he placed down a pile of books.

"Now what can I help you with?" He asked.

"Oh, well I'm supposed to meet a friend of mine here. Told me to go to this address." I said as I showed him the slip of paper, though once he read the address the man suddenly got a rather suspicious expression on his face.

"Hmm, yet. This is the place, though who exactly are you meeting if I might ask?" He asked with his arms crossed, however, just as I was about to answer the man, though the sound of the bell ringing drew our attention away from one another.

"Oh, you're here." The giant said as he walked into the store. "Do not worry, this here is a friend to rouges such as us. You need not worry about the intentions of this boy." He said to the man.

"Ah, I see. Guess I'll start to unload inventory." Tukson said as he walked back into the room.

"So how have you been lately?" I questioned.

"It's been rather complicated. Ever since I betrayed the Fang, it almost feels as if there is this constant threat above my head." He said. "A constant chill runs down my spine as I walk these streets."

"You did the right thing," I said as I patted the man on the back.

"I know. Though I feel as if my decision has only put more people in harm's way." He said.

"Does the rest of your team know?" I asked him, causing the man to shake his head in response. I wasn't exactly happy with the response that he gave, though I suppose it was one that I expected.

"No, not yet. Now isn't the time."

"You do what you think is best," I responded with a shrug.

"I will, though, despite that, I wish to thank you. I do not know if I will ever repay the debt I owe you." He said.

The two of us stood there in silence for a few moments, though it was eventually the giant who spoke up. "...So I'm sure you have questions." Yatsuhashi said to me with a rather serious expression on his face.

"Bit of an understatement. First off, I want to know why you joined, to begin with. Why did you choose to side with the Fang, even with the knowledge of what was going on." I said.

The man sighed and proceeded to turn his head in my direction. "There were a few reasons. For one, I truly did believe that the cause we were fighting for was just. Though over time I feel as if we have strayed from what our original intent was."

"What about the other reason?" I asked.

"...It was my sister. My actual blood sister.." He said, grabbing my attention. "She was and still is one of the most loyal followers in the Fang. Perhaps I had hoped she would eventually see the error of their ways. I was wrong, unfortunately."

"Right. Take it from me, loyalty doesn't really mean a whole lot if you lose yourself in the process." I said.

"Hmm, I can see the wisdom in that." He said.

"...So what kind of Faunus are you? I mean, before all that happened I thought you were just an average human."

"I am a bear," Yatsuhashi said as he revealed the fangs he kept hidden within his mouth.

"Is that why you don't talk all that much? Because you want to keep that hidden?" I asked.

"I suppose so. I am not ashamed of my heritage. Though being passed for a human has made life easier."

"Fair point," I said. "So, why did you want to meet here specifically?"

"This is a safe house for White Fang members who go rogue. Tukson is one such member and has been on the run from our brothers and sisters for quite some time now. I suppose one would call it a safe haven for traitors such as I."

"Hmm." I hummed. "So what were you before? What exactly triggered the two of you to join the White Fang?" I asked.

"...I would prefer to keep the past in the past." The man said with a saddened expression.

I decided that it would be for the best to drop the subject for the time being. "Well, you did say you wanted to pay me back, right?" I asked, causing the man to nod. "There is something you could do..." I began as I proceeded to tell the man my request.

"I see. Do not worry, you can count on my abilities in combat to aid you. Though I need to make some preparations myself." He said as he walked out of the library.

Once I was left alone, I opened the book back up and proceeded to read the final name. However, what I saw only put me in a further state of confusion.

 _The Fierce Dry, one who seeks the challenge, one who will protect the kingdom at any cost. This Knight would follow the White Queen to the depths of the Abyss if she so commanded it._

I started to flip through the book in hopes to find any mention of the Spirit Shade, though no matter how many books I went through, no matter how many stories I read, there wasn't a single they mentioned Share.

Which begged the question. If Shade wasn't one of the Eleven Great Knights, then who in the world was in my head?

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus, another chapter of our story comes to an end. It was a hard fought battle, though, in the end, our heroes emerged victoriously.**_

 _ **Many things were tested on this day, principles were challenged, and many were faced with a question.**_ _ **What does loyalty mean to you when it requires one to throw away their own core beliefs and values?**_

 _ **However, the giant was able to see through the brutality in order to rise up to the occasion. Though now he will be hunted by the White Fang for this traitorous act.**_

 _ **Now, The Huntress and the Swordsman prepare to head out towards Mountain Glenn, the place where it started it all.**_ _ **Though there are still many questions to be answered, one of which is the identity and origin of the Spirit of Shade.**_

 _ **However, that is a story for another day.**_

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: Mountain Glenn**_


	13. Mountain Glenn

_**The Story so Far... After a rather hard-fought battle from within the Cold Kingdom of Atlas, a battle that was both a test of strength and principles, our hero now makes his way over towards the largest tomb in the world.**_

 _ **Mountain Glenn, one of the world's most devastating tragedies. To this day, there are still those who mourn the ones who were lost during the massacre, though very few know the truth as to why the mountain fell in the first place.**_

 _ **However, those who do continue to search for the man who was responsible for the tragedy, a man simply named Victor Merlot. There were many who had assumed the man had perished during the incident, though the Archeologist of Beacon Academy has reason to believe otherwise.**_

 _ **Though infiltrating the mountain is no easy feat, even for a Huntress such as her self. There are many twists and turns from above and below the mountain, so it could be rather difficult to traverse through.**_

 _ **Not only that, large forces of monsters have taken shelter from within the caves and buildings. Going in alone would prove to be quite a difficult task, though a fateful encounter would soon change the odds of infiltrating the mountain.**_

 _ **Once our hero came into this world, the woman was the one to shelter him in exchange for assistance with tracking Merlot. However, things got more complicated when it was revealed that the boy did not have access to his aura.**_

 _ **Though after months of training and countless battles, the duo set out to conquer the mountain in order to locate the man responsible for the massacre that happened all those years ago.**_

 ** _With this onslaught, our heroes are one step closer to putting the tortured souls that were lost in the massacre to rest, as well as closer to attaining the justice that they deserve._**

 _ **...**_

 _ **Mountain Glenn**_

It was a rather quiet day in the forests outside of the Kingdom of Vale, though not the kind that would put people at ease. There was a cold tension from within the air, one that would even send chills down the most hardened of warriors.

However, that is only a natural feeling when one sets foot near the largest tomb in the entire world. It was right next to the Red Desert as a place riddled with the souls of those who have been taken from this world.

Not only that, though this place was a monument for the beginning of something new, as well as the end to the days of old. This was one of the most tragic massacres to have ever occur from within the world, though very few know of what truly happened.

Most of the staff had either been killed from within the building or have moved on from the incident in one way or another. However, the Archeologist of Beacon Academy does not wish to let go of the past, as she believes there is still unfinished business with what truly happened that day.

Despite what the public believes, the one responsible for the deaths of so many innocent people may very well be alive and hatching some sort of plan from outside of the Council's awareness.

Which is something that the Former Scientist of Merlot Industries wishes to prevent, though doing so has proved to be more of a challenge then she had originally thought. It was a rather hard-fought road, though the day has finally come.

The Huntress and The Mercenary now set out for the tomb where everything began, as well as where everything ended. Armed with the Power's of an Unknown Spirit, the two are now ready to face the trials that will surely come upon entering the ruined city.

Vultures could be heard from within the sky as the group started to come closer to the mountain, and the feeling of unease was only amplified due to the chills running down everyone's spines.

It was only natural that the failed expansion would prove to be a challenge to even the most seasoned of warriors, though it wasn't the city that made the two uneasy, rather the former company building of Merlot Industries made the duo rather tense.

Though despite that, The Archeologist and The Mercenary press on with a new found ally in tow. Speaking of which... "So do you mind explaining to me why one of my students is coming with us to Mountain Glenn?" The woman question in a rather irritated tone.

It just so happens that the former member of the White Fang, as well as the Huntsmen in training, Yatsuhashi Daichi, was joining the duo when it came to scaling the mountain ahead.

He was currently carrying a large back with a supply of useful tools that they could possibly use in the upcoming battles. Though despite coming prepared, the woman still wasn't exactly happy that he was there to begin with.

"Hmm, I thought we could use the extra muscle. There are bound to be some pretty large obstacles ahead, and this one right here is the strongest man I know." I said as I pointed at the man in question, who merely waved in response.

"This mission of ours was supposed to remain discreet." She said before she turned her head around to face the two of us.

"I'm aware," I said.

"So why is he here?! He's one of my students for goodness sake!" The woman shouted. "This is the opposite of remaining discreet!" It was clear that she wasn't exactly happy with the sudden decision to recruit the man.

"It's not like he's gonna tell the whole school about what the two of us have been doing!" I countered. "The guy barely talks, to begin with! We can trust him to keep his mouth shut when it comes to this situation!" I said as I turned my head to face the giant.

"Do not fret, Professor. I will not utter a word of any of this to anyone within the school ground, or anywhere for that matter. My friend here explained the situation before we set out. It is understandable that you do not wish to make such a thing public." The man said.

"That isn't the point. Communication is key in this situation, I can't have you doing things behind my back." Mary growled.

"Fair point. Though trust is also an important factor here, and I would appreciate it if you had a little more faith in me when it came to decisions like this." The tension in the air became all the more prevalent as the argument went on. "You want to take down Doctor Merlot, and I want to get paid. It's as simple as that, you and I won't have any problems as long as you hold up your end of the bargain!"

Our argument carried on for a few more moments, though we were quickly silenced at the sound of the giant's booming voice. "Enough!" He shouted at the two of us, breaking our conversation in the process.

"I understand that the two of you have made some questionable decisions on how to handle your partnership. Though I will have to ask the two of you to handle it in a more constructive manner!" He said. "Need I remind you that we are near one of the largest tombs in the world? We're bound to attract more monsters if the two of you keep this up!"

"...He does have a point." I said to the woman, who merely sighed in response while rubbing the temples of her eyes with her right hand.

"Right, let's just focus on the task at hand. You have faith that he won't speak a word of this to anyone, so I suppose the least I can do is take your word for it." The Huntress said as she proceeded to walk up the green hill once again. "Come on, we have a lot of ground to cover."

The two of us nodded and proceeded to walk across the lush green grass, though we didn't follow to close behind as we wanted to have a conversation of our own. It wouldn't do the situation any good if she found out about the man's previous affiliations.

"Thanks for getting me out of that situation," I whispered over to the giant. "I knew she wouldn't have exactly been open to this idea, though the more muscle we have the better."

"It's not a problem. This is the least I can do for you after what happened back in Atlas." Yatsuhashi said while we continued to walk up the hill.

"Speaking of which has anyone tried to hunt you down? I doubt the White Fang takes kindly to traitors." I said, though using the term traitor didn't really seem to sit well with the man in question.

"No, the Fang doesn't usually attack from within the Kingdom walls directly. Usually at least." He said with a serious expression on his face. "Though as we both know, there have been some recent exceptions."

"What was the whole point of that raid to begin with? Despite the obvious assassination attempt." I questioned.

"To free some of the workers from the Schnee Mines, as well as steal some of the cargo that was being held by the Schnee Dust Company," Yatsuhashi explained to me while readjusting his blade into a more comfortable position.

"How'd that turn out?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. I haven't exactly been in contact with my old brothers and sisters, as I am now branded as a traitor." The man said. "I know you said that I did the right thing, though part of me is regretting abandoning the Fang as I did."

"You mentioned something about your sister. I don't think you ever said what her name was." I said.

"Her name is Mochi. She was within the same rank as I am before I took the entrance exam at Beacon Academy." He said. "She was more devoted to the cause, while I questioned our more recent decisions more and more as time went on."

"What are you two whispering about?" Mary questioned.

"Oh, we're just talking about the plan is all. Don't worry." I said in hopes to clear the two of us of suspicion.

"Do really need to whisper about that? I'm the one who recruited you for this job in the first place." Mary said. "Didn't think I'd have to explain it to another person." She growled.

"Right," I said while leaning over to the man in question. "You understand everything I told you I hope," I said.

"Yes, though to be honest, I was a little skeptical at first. We were told that Victor Merlot had died when Mountain Glenn fell, then again we were told that the Lindworm had been defeated by the Last King of Vale for nearly a century, so I suppose anything is possible." He said.

"Still can't believe you recruited an entire team from the Academy to help you with that job." She said.

"You said to protect the town by any means necessary, and I thought that enlisting the help of a Huntsman and Huntress in training would increase our chances of success," I said.

"Fair point. Still, I also told you to keep the school out of this." She said. "Though if your friend here says that he'll keep quiet then I suppose I'll take your word for it, after all, it's not like I won't be able to keep an eye on him."

Once the Archeologist started to walk up the hill once again, the two of us started to converse with one another. "So how much do you know about what happened in Mountain Glenn?" I asked.

"More then you think." He said with a serious expression.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked while raising one of my eyebrows in a questioning manner.

"I'm not at liberty to say. Just know that I have more than enough reason to want to see justice delivered to this man." He said as he gripped the handle of his blade tightly. I wanted to question him on his sudden reaction, though I decided to let it go for the time being.

A few moments of silence passed, though eventually, we came to the very top of the green hill that we were walking across. Just as I had made it to the top of the hill, our eyes settled on the place that was emanating the feeling of dread that had been present for quite some time.

There we were, standing in front of the failed expansion of the Kingdom of Vale. Vultures could be seen flying above the city, each bird looking to feast upon the corpse of some unlucky prospector.

"I've only heard tales of this place, though I never thought I would actually set foot on its grounds." The giant said as a drop of sweat fell down his forehead.

Even I was starting to get a little unease just staring at the ruined city, though it was too late to back out now. We were here at last, and the building that was once the main base of operations for Merlot Industries was in sight.

"There it is. That's where we're heading. It's not gonna be an easy road, I hope the two of you are ready for what's to come." Mary said with a serious expression, causing the two of us to nod our heads. "Alright then, let's not waste any time then. It won't do us any good if we have to traverse the city when it's dark."

With that, we started to walk towards the entrance to the city with our respective weapons at hand. Faint roars could be heard in the distance, and in turn, forced us to raise our guard as we approached the stone ground of the city.

It was mostly quiet as we made our way through the city, though it was more of the unsettling kind rather than the soothing one. However, we were suddenly stopped once we heard some sort of noise coming from our backside.

The three of us started to circle around the area while preparing for whatever threat that may loom over on the horizon. However, as we were scanning the environment, a sudden roar could be heard near us.

I turned around to face the source of sudden screech, though, by the time I came face to face with the monster, its jaws were already threatening to sink into the skin of my neck.

However, before the beast could end everything, the spirit known as Shade quickly manifested to punch the creature across the jaw, sending it flying backward's. "Damn it! Both of you get behind something!" The Huntress yelled as she ran over towards one of the pipelines.

I was still rather dazed at the sudden attack, though I shook it off and proceeded to follow the woman over towards the pipes while Yatsuhashi made his way over to one of the ruined buildings.

Once I was behind cover, my eyes proceeded to dart around the area in hopes to locate the monster that just attempted to consume me, though the beast was nowhere in sight.

"What the hell was that?!" I asked.

"That was a Fury and a fairly fast one at that. " Mary said while poking her head from outside the pipes in hopes to locate the monster. Though no matter how in-depth the woman search was, the monster had seemingly disappeared.

"Fairly?! That thing nearly bit my damn head off!" I whispered loudly in hopes to not draw attention to ourselves.

"Keep it down, will you?! The last thing we need is to draw attention to ourselves!" She said as she ducked back behind pipe. "I can't see where that Fury went either, so we need to keep our heads down."

"So what do we do now? How exactly are we gonna take this thing down?" I asked while the adrenaline rushing through my body started to calm down.

"First we need to make sure that Yatsuhashi is still alive." The woman whispered. "You didn't happen to see where Daichi went when the monster attacked, did you?" She asked.

"He went over in that building. Though there's no way we're going to make it over there without drawing the attention of that monster." I said.

"Yeah, I figured as much. We're gonna need to cause some sort of distraction in order to keep the Fury off of us until we come up with a better plan to take it out." The Huntress said as she pinched her chin before turning her eyes over in my direction.

"...Seriously?" I simply asked, as I already knew what she was implying without her actually saying it. The woman's only response was to nod her head while keeping the same serious expression on her face.

"Seriously," I said, though the Huntress merely rubbed her temples before pushing me out into the open. "Here we go." I sighed as I walked out into the middle of the open area with my guard seemingly lowered.

I started to whistle some sort of tune in order to get the attention of the monster, though before I could react, the Fury ran behind me in hopes to finish the fight that was started moments earlier.

Though just as it was about to sink its teeth into my flesh, Shade proceeded to ram the back of his fist into the nose of the monster, sending it flying backward's. I used this opportunity to lure the monster away from the other two members of the group.

Once the Archeologist was certain that the Fury had kept onto my trail, she proceeded to make her way over towards the building where the giant was last seen. I ran as fast as I could, occasionally making sharp turns in hopes to use the monsters speed against it.

Every time it crashed into the stone surfaces of the buildings and walls around me, I could hear it's growl get all the more menacing. However, my luck eventually ran out once I realized that I had other means of escape.

I could hear the Fury's growl from all around the area, though it was moving too fast for my eyes to keep track of. A sudden gust of wind blew past me, which in turn caused me to spin around in hopes to get the jump on the monster.

Though no matter how much I tried, there was no real way of keeping track of this beast, at least not on my own that is. The only one who can really give me an opportunity to strike would be the Spirit from before.

Once I took a deep breath, I closed my eyes and proceeded to wait for Shade to strike at the monster whenever it tried to attack. Silence filled the air for a few moments, though I could hear the monster yelp once the fist of the spirit made contact with it.

I had a narrow window of time to react, every second counted when fighting this enemy. I rushed forward's and proceeded to hack and slash at the beast in hopes to take it down.

Fortunately, the Fury didn't have any armor to protect itself, so damaging it wasn't exactly a challenge. Though before I could deliver the final strike, it seemingly disappeared from sight.

My eyes darted around the area in hopes to catch the monster before it could potentially strike, though I failed to notice the monster looming above me from my backside. If it weren't for Shade, then that would have been the end of the fight.

However, I noticed how the monster seemingly healed the wounds it had just recently acquired in a matter of seconds. "What the hell?" I whispered to myself as the beast reeled back in pain.

The monster disappeared once again, leaving me with my thoughts about the situation at hand. However, I was brought back into reality once I felt something grab my shoulder.

I spun around to attack the figure, though I was quickly stopped once my eyes came into contact with the figure of the Huntress. "You took your time," I growled as my gaze fell on the giant.

"Good to see that harm did not come to you, my friend," Yatsuhashi said while gripping the handle of his blade.

"We're not out of the mud yet, so you might want to keep your guard up," I said before I started to scan the area around us. "So I have a quick question, Mary," I said, causing the Archeologist to turn her head over in my direction.

"That would be...?" She motioned for me to ask the question.

"Can Grimm regenerate wounds? Not like overtime, I mean within seconds of acquiring them." I questioned, though the expression of curiosity on the woman's face wasn't exactly reassuring.

"They can't regenerate, period." The woman said.

"Not even a Fury?" I asked as the beast roared could be heard from the distance.

"Kid, you know..." She began as she leaned over to whisper into my ear. "You know what my previous profession was. I think I know what I'm talking about when it comes to these sorts of things!" Mary whispered.

Though before we could continue our little argument, the Fury quickly rushed over towards the three of us at blinding speeds. The giant quickly slammed it's blade onto the skull of the beast, causing it to yelp in pain.

Before the man could deliver the final blow, the monster suddenly disappeared once again. "Watch," I said to the two, as I was certain that the wounds that the monster acquired would have healed for some reason.

It was only a few moments, though the monster eventually pounced on us once again, causing everyone to dodge the oncoming attack. "See?! I told you! That wound on the Fury's head-!" I began, though there was something that caught my eye once I actually got a good look at the Fury's head.

"You're right. What the hell is going on here?" The Huntress questioned as even she saw how the beast didn't have the wound that the giant inflicted on it. The Fury disappeared once again, causing the three of us to duck behind cover once again, only this time we hid behind the same pipeline.

"This isn't normal." The woman said to herself as she poked her head out from behind the pipelines. She clenched her fist, as she started to suspect that her old boss had something to do with this, though I had other suspicions.

"Hold on," I said as I made my way over towards the giant that stood on the other side of the pipeline. "I've got an idea, it's a little risky though it might just give us the answer we need to take this thing down."

"I don't follow." The Huntress said with one of her eyebrows raised.

"It's only a hunch. Let's not jump to planning until I know for sure." I said before I turned my head in order to face Yatsuhashi. "You in?" I asked the giant of a man with a serious expression.

"Of course." The man said. "What would you have me do if I might ask?" In response, I leaned over to tell the duo my plan of action, as well as the hunch that I had about why the Fury was seemingly regenerating.

"I see. Though this sounds rather dangerous though." The man said.

"We're in Mountain Glenn. Can't get any more dangerous than that." I responded while cracking my knuckles.

"You better know what you're doing. I didn't come all the way out here just to see you get mauled to death by a Fury." She said as she started to store up energy from within her body.

Once everyone was ready, the giant and I made our way out into the center of the area in order to initiate the plan. We stood back to back, waiting for the monster to pounce onto one of us.

A few moments of silence passed, though the beast eventually took the bait and proceeded to charge forwards. In a split second, Shade slammed the Fury onto the ground, causing the stone beneath us to shake ever so slightly.

"Rah!" Yatsuhashi roared as he proceeded to hold the beast in place in order to prevent it from escaping. It roared and flailed wildly, desperately trying to get away from the two of us. "I have him! What now?!" He yelled.

"We need it alive! Just hold onto it for a few more seconds!" I yelled while darting my head around the area.

"This one is putting up quite the fight! I do not know how much longer I can hold it!" The man yelled as he was starting to lose his grip on the monster in question. It took a few moments, though a sudden roar could be heard.

Fortunately for us, it wasn't the monster we were holding, which means that my hunch proved to have some weight to it. I had noticed that the Fury from before had the exact same cut marks from before, while the other one had a different set of wounds.

Which could only mean one thing, there was more than one Fury hunting us. Once we were certain that the roar wasn't coming from the monster we had trapped, I gave the Archeologist the signal to release all the stored up energy she had.

Once she did, a massive explosion could be seen coming from the pipelines, causing the two remaining Fury's to come out of handing and into our sights. "Kill it!" I yelled, causing the giant to roar as he impaled the trapped creature with his massive blade, it's remains evaporating into the air.

The two remaining Fury's growled while they circled us, though eventually, the Huntress joined our little standoff once she dusted herself off from the remains of the blast. "I hate doing that." She grumbled.

With a single roar, the two Creatures of Grimm disappeared from sight, a slight gust of wind brushing past us once the monsters dashed away. They were no longer trying to use stealth and were using their full speed to their advantage, though this also meant they were threatening to crash into every wall and building in sight.

I tried to use Shade to counter one of the oncoming attacks, though I was just barely able to slam the palm of the spirit up against the skull of the beast, though due to it's sheer speed, I was sent flying back a few feet.

Some dust was also picked up by the sudden gust of wind that appeared once the spirits palm made impact with the monster, causing both of the warriors to be temporarily blinded.

This gave the second Fury an opportunity to strike as it pounced onto the head of Yatsuhashi in attempts to end the life of the giant, though the man merely used all the energy he had stored up in order to endure the oncoming onslaught.

While the giant's and the Archeologist's semblances were rather similar, they had vastly different uses for how they were handled. The man stored energy from opponents attacks in order to amplify his own defense, while the woman merely absorbed energy from the environment in order to amplify her own attacks.

Mary quickly reacted and slammed her fist onto the torso of the Fury, causing it to fly off of the giant and into the air. He attempted to use it's air born state to his advantage, though once the beast even made contact with the ground, it ran away, causing a powerful gust of wind to blow throughout the area.

On the other hand, I was having some issues with taking down this monster as the advantage that I once had over it seemed to be working against me more than anything. I would hit the ground at the same time as the Fury would, though our speeds were in completely different leagues.

The monster would be right in front of me once my feet came into contact with the ground, which made it rather difficult to counter. However, I did have one option, though it wasn't exactly one that was in my favor per se.

I focused on the ground while I was air born, and just as the Fury was about lunge at me, I slammed the foot of Shade onto the ground, causing it to crumble. This caused the two of us to fall into the underground station of the failed expansion, though the fall wasn't exactly pleasant.

Though it was survivable, which was really the only thing I was looking for. My vision was slightly blurred, though I was just barely able to see the fuzzy figure of the Fury looming above my head.

Reacting quickly, I had Shade push the monster back, causing it to slam into one of the buildings from within the underground city. I shook my head and prepared for the next phase of the battle, though I was just barely able to dodge some sort of red energy ball that was shot from the mouth of the monster.

Meanwhile, Yatsuhashi and Mary were both taking on the other Fury that had been part of the pack. It was a rather difficult battle for the two, though they had the advantage when it came to numbers.

However, while the Fury wasn't really able to do as much damage as it wished it could to the duo, the two weren't really able to hit the monster either. Neither of them had the sheer reaction time and speed that the Shade had.

"Damn it. I've already absorbed all the energy I could." Mary said while she attempted to search for any forms of energy around her.

"Hmm." The giant hummed as he closed his eyes, and eventually, an idea sparked from within his mind. "You can use me as your energy source." The man said, though judging by the expression of shock and horror on the woman's face, she wasn't exactly liking that idea.

"What?! No! I am not using you as an outlet kid!" She yelled as the beast ran past the two once again.

"You must! We do not have a choice! Your burst of energy was the only thing that was able to hit these monsters aside from Brandon's strange ability!" The giant yelled while blocking another attack from the Fury. "I have stored up energy from the monsters attacks! You have an ability that can absorb energy, correct?!"

"That may be true but-!" She began.

"I have excess energy from before! I will still be able to defend myself, even once you've drained it all!" The man roared.

"God...Fine!" The woman said reluctantly, as she didn't really have any other choice in the matter. She held out her hand and proceeded to absorb all of the excess energy that the giant had.

Once she had converted all of that energy into her own, her aura started to flare wildly while the pupils of her eyes started to glow white. "Get down! Now!" She roared as she formed some sort of energy ball in the palm of her hand.

The giant quickly rushed behind a stable building while preparing for the sudden explosion, and once the beast was within range, the woman slammed the ball onto the ground, causing a massive explosion to echo throughout the area.

Once the dust settled, the ashes of the monster could be seen fading into the sky. The woman took a deep breath and exhaled as she dusted herself off, though before either of them could say anything, they could hear the roar of the last remaining Fury coming from the distance.

The Archeologist motioned for the giant to follow her as she made her way through the ruined city. The former White Fang member threw his blade over his shoulder and proceeded to follow the woman.

Meanwhile, I was still having some difficulty facing the Fury. While it may have slowed down, it was smart enough to know that a simple running start would be enough to put it back to its original speeds.

On one hand, this did give me some time to think of a plan of action, though on the other hand, it was still moving to fast for me to actually get a solid strike on it. However, before I could consider any plan of action, I could hear the sound of an explosion coming from the distance.

If I were to take a wild guess, then I think it's safe to assume that the other Fury has been taken down. Though as the explosion echoed throughout the air, the Fury from within the underground city let out a rather loud howl.

Some sort of red energy could be seen emanating around the monster as its eyes glowed with some sort of red hue. It let out a nasty growl while baring its claws and fangs at me.

"Guess you really live up to your name, don't ya?" I questioned while cracking my shoulders in order to prepare for the final stage of the battle. It let out an ear-piercing roar and charged forwards, though just as it was about to sink its teeth into my flesh, I proceeded to slam the palm of Shade into its mouth, causing it to shriek with agony.

Though I failed to notice the small energy ball that was forming from within its jaw, causing both the Fury and me to go flying in separate directions. Thankfully, I was a good enough distance away from the blast, so I didn't take any mortal damage.

On the other hand, the beast didn't seem to mind at all that an explosion just went off in its mouth as it was charging towards me only seconds after the blast. I slammed the knee of the Spirit onto the lower part of its jaw, sending it flying up into the air.

However, once it landed on the ground, the energy from within its mouth started to spiral out of control. It started to shoot random spheres of energy in random directions, and this wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for the fact that we were currently underground.

Rubble started to fall from the ceiling and the ground started to shake.

I growled and proceeded to hit one of the balls back at the monster with the blunt part of my blade, though this only seemed to anger the beast even more than before. It started to charge forwards, though I was able to dodge just in time.

Before the monster could land on the ground, the hand of the spirit quickly latched onto its tail. Within a single second, Shade quickly threw the monster over towards one of the buildings, causing the structure to crumble while the monster was still within it.

With the handle of the sword in my hand, I started to walk back a few feet before I charged forwards, using the momentum I had and the force of the spirit to throw the blade in the direction of the Fury. Once it poked its head out to roar, the blade sunk into its head.

Once I was certain that the beast was dead, I went to go and retrieve the blade. Though once I actually picked it up, I could hear the voices of the Giant and the Archeologist from the hole that the spirit made in the ground.

"Are you alright?!" I heard the Huntress question.

"I'm not dead. So that's something." I said rather bluntly while making my way over towards the hole in the ground. "I don't suppose you two have a way to get me out of this hole?"

"Just sit tight." The woman said as she and Yatsuhashi proceeded to get me back to the surface of the city. "It would be in our best interest to keep away from combat like that in the near future. This city isn't exactly the most stable place in the world."

"No kidding," I said while reminiscing on the rampage that the Fury went on from within the underground.

"We should keep moving, the facility shouldn't be too far away," Mary said while walking off into the distance. The giant and I stared at one another for a few moments before following the Huntress in question.

 _ **...**_

It took us quite a bit of time, and it didn't exactly come without a few scuffles on the way, though it was nothing like the battle with the three Fury's, and eventually, we found ourselves standing in front of the former facility of Merlot Industries.

The facility stood at twenty stories high, though it was a miracle that it was standing at all. Out of every building in this ruined city, this one was the one that was seemingly untouched by the monsters in the area.

"So, this is the place?" I asked.

"No, we're just standing in front of some random building for no reason. Of course, this is the place." Mary said in a rather dry tone.

"Thought it would be a little more run down. From the looks of it, this place doesn't seem to be too worse for wear." I commented as we started to walk towards the front doors of the facility.

"Not surprising. This facility was specifically constructed to hold and protect some of the Kingdom's most advanced Artificial Intelligence Units." The woman said. "Now the only thing it's protecting is the whereabouts of Victor."

"Better now then never," I said while we stood in front of the two sliding doors that led to the inside of the facility.

"Mind giving me a hand here?" She asked the giant who merely nodded in response. He placed his blade into its sheath and proceeded to pry the electronic doors open with his strength. "Follow me." The Archeologist said while walking into the facility with some sort of flashlight in her hand.

The entrance to the facility was like any other normal company building, there was a receptionist desk in the center of the room with some sort of sign right above it. The sign said the following phrase.

"Merlot Industries, the next step in Humanity's Evolution." I read aloud. "It was a step in evolution alright, just not the right one."

"Indeed." The giant agreed while he scanned the room around us. I turned my head towards the Archeologist to see how she was fairing, as this wasn't exactly a place filled with fond memories.

She had a rather serious expression on her face, though it wasn't like her usual expression. "Power's out. From the looks of it, the power reserves were burned out a long time ago." The woman said.

"Guess that means we're going up the old fashion way," I said.

"Yeah, be on your guard. This place may have been abandoned, though this place acts as an outpost for Victor. There are bound to be a few security precautions." The woman said.

The two of us nodded and proceeded to follow the Archeologist over towards the stairwell. Our footsteps would echo throughout the stairwell, though the unsettling silence was seemingly amplified once we made our way up the building.

Our eyes darted around the halls in case there were any traps or cameras placed by the doctor himself, though fortunately for us, the man didn't seem to be too concerned with the lower levels of the facility.

"How many flights of stairs does one facility need?" I asked while trying to catch my breath.

"Quit complaining. We've only got two more floors left before we reach the top of the facility." The woman said rather dryly. I looked up to see the Huntress clenching her fist rather tightly.

I took a deep breath and proceeded to power through the remaining flights of stairs until we eventually arrived at the top. The Archeologist could be seen standing in front of two large wooden doors with the name Victor Merlot written on both sides.

"Things seem rather tense. Is something troubling her?" The giant questioned, though before I could respond, the woman proceeded to kick open both doors while letting out a rather angered grunt.

"You could say that," I responded while we proceeded to enter the former office of Doctor Merlot. Compared to the rest of the facility, this place actually looked rather clean, as there wasn't even a spec of dust within sight.

The Archeologist could be seen shuffling through various drawers and shelves that were scattered all throughout the office, though I decided to take a good look at the view that Victor had before the whole incident with some of the experiments here in the facility.

Not sure what I was expecting, though the only thing I could actually see from out the window behind the desk was the ruined city of Mountain Glenn. Though the forests could also be seen from within the horizon.

"I'm sure this was once a beautiful sight to behold. Though I suppose this is all that's left of the once great city." The giant said with a rather saddened expression on his face.

"No use grieving about it now. We have other matters to attend to." I said to the man. "Still, you have to wonder what could have been. This was one of the main reasons why Vale doesn't expand anymore."

"Got it!" We heard the woman shout.

Once we actually turned around, we could see that one of the shelves from within the room was actually locked with some sort of code. Though once it was broken, it revealed a secret entrance that was hidden behind the shelf.

The Huntress pressed one of the buttons that could be seen on the backside of the shelf, causing the hidden passageway to open. From the looks of it, there was some sort of elevator hidden within the office of Doctor Merlot.

"Hold on a moment. How did you know where this entrance was? You figured it out rather quickly." The giant questioned, causing the woman to internally swear to herself.

"I'm an Archeologist. Deciphering codes and messages is part of my job." She responded rather calmly. He closed his eyes for a few moments before he nodded his head, as he was satisfied with the answer that was given to him. "Now come on, though keep your guard up."

Once we were ready, the three of us proceeded to gather within the confines of the elevator. The Huntress took out her journal and started to move over towards another console that was right next to the doors of the metal box.

"How many codes does one man need?" I questioned.

"The Doctor could never be too careful with his research," Mary responded as she proceeded to punch in the code to activate the power. Once the pressed the final button, an audible ding could be heard from within the elevator. "You two might want to prepare yourself. Some of the Doctor's experiments aren't exactly pleasing to the eye." She said, causing the giant and me to stare at one another rather nervously.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"...Don't worry about it." The woman said, though this only further increased my concern. However, before we could question the Huntress any further, the sudden movement of the elevator quickly cut us off.

As we continued our descent, the two of us proceeded to hold our respective weapons rather closely. It took us a few moments before we eventually reached the basement of the facility, though once we did, we proceeded to ready ourselves for whatever may be beyond the two metal doors in front of us.

However, I don't think either of us could have prepared for what was within the secret laboratory of Doctor Merlot. "What in the hell?" I asked while the three of us proceeded to enter the basement of the facility.

There were various chambers and tubes scattered all throughout the room, though it was what was inside the tubes that really sent chills down our spines. "What is this?" The giant questioned with an equally perplexed expression.

Not even we were able to identify what any of these creatures were, some of them didn't even look like they had originated from this planet. "These are the Doctor's little side projects," Mary responded in a rather serious tone.

"I'm surprised any of these things survived the Fall of Mountain Glenn." The woman commented while walking through the room. "Don't touch any of the tubes, you don't want to wake any of these abominations up."

"Hold on, these things are still alive?!" I asked as I backed a solid ten feet away from the tubes.

"Keep your voice down to! These tubes aren't soundproof!" She whispered loudly while putting her right index finger up to her lips in hopes to keep me quiet. "I don't understand why you're freaking out! You fight monsters all the time!"

"Right, though I can at least read about those monsters in books! I can't exactly go down to the local library and read about whatever the hell these things are!" I said while gesturing my hands over towards the set of tubes.

"Indeed, seeing such abominations is rather unsettling," Yatsuhashi said with a serious expression. "Though at the moment, it appears that we are safe for the time being." He said.

Though before we could continue to talk amongst ourselves, we could hear the sound of footsteps coming from the distance. We all looked at one another for a few moments before we hid behind the various tubes scattered throughout the room.

I poked my head out from behind the tube to see what was causing such a ruckus. Once I was certain that I was able to remain hidden, I could see some sort of drone hovering above some sort of console.

The drone placed some sort of device within the port of the console, though after a few moments, it took out the drive and proceeded to fly away from the room. Once we were certain that the drone was gone, we proceeded to come out from our hiding spot.

"Perhaps that console holds the information we are looking for." The giant said as he threw the massive blade he had over his shoulder.

"Only one way to find out," I responded as the three of us proceeded to walk over towards computer in the center of the room. It was rather small when compared to the other consoles we've seen throughout our various missions.

"Hmm, yeah this is the one. Just give me a moment here, this could take some time." The Huntress said as she proceeded to gather as much information as she could. So for the time being, all we could do was wait in the room of abominations until she had managed to locate the man we were looking for.

The tubes came in various sizes, as some were designed to hold large beasts and some were designed to hold smaller beasts. However, they all looked threatening in their own right.

A good amount of time went by, though even then the woman didn't seem to be any closer to locating the man than before. She shouted in frustration and proceeded to kick the bottom of the console with her foot.

"Hmm." Yatsuhashi hummed to himself as he narrowed his eyes while staring at the angered woman in question.

"Something bothering you?" I asked.

"There's something off about her behavior." The man said. "I understand that she only wishes to bring justice to the fallen souls who had fallen during the Massacre of Mountain Glenn, though I can't shake this feeling."

"What do you mean?" I questioned, knowing full well as to why the Huntress was acting the way she was.

"This whole situation seems rather personal. Almost as if she had some sort of connection with the Doctor in question." He said. "She seems to be quite knowledgable when it comes to Victor's research."

"I wouldn't worry about it. At the end of the day, Merlot still needs to be taken down, her motives for doing so are of no concern to us, at least not yet." I said as I turned back to face the woman in question.

The giant was still rather skeptical when it came to the motives of the Archeologist, though he managed to shrug off his suspicions for the time being in order to focus on the task at hand.

"Come on, where are you?" The woman asked herself as she looked through the various files on the console. "All you're little robots come straight through Mountain Glenn, so why don't you come on out already."

 _ **"Well, if you insist, my old friend."**_ The voice of Doctor Merlot said, causing the woman to turn around with a look of shock on her face. There before her stood the man himself, or at least a projection of him.

A good portion of his body was mechanical, wounds that we all assumed he had acquired through the Massacre of Mountain Glenn. _**"It's been quite some time, hasn't it?"**_ The Doctor questioned.

"Victor." The Archeologist growled, her tone full of venom as she glared daggers at the man.

 _ **"Now that is a rather familiar expression."**_ He said. _**"I've heard you've become one of the Academies dogs, is that correct?"**_

"Better than working for the likes of you, that's for sure." She said, though once that word's reached the ears of the Giant, he turned towards me with a rather perplexed expression.

"She worked for Merlot Industries?!" Yatsuhashi asked.

 _ **"Why indeed she has, and I must say, your dear friend here was one of our best scientists. She was bringing humanity close to its next step in evolution!"**_ The man said. _**"Most of what you see here wouldn't have been possible without-!"**_ He began, though the projection quickly disappeared just as he was about to finish his sentence.

A few moments of silence passed until the projection of the man reappeared once again. _**"Ah! There we go! Terribly sorry, communication devices of the old days don't seem to work as well as they used to."**_ He said while making a few adjustments to his robotic arm.

 ** _"Though as I was originally saying, most of what you see here wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for the help of your dear friend here."_** Doctor Merlot said.

"I created Artifical Intelligence Units for the Military and Council. You're the one who wanted to create monsters." The woman growled.

 _ **"Hmm, is that so? Though I do seem to remember you developing a rather useful A.I to help with the creation of these so-called monsters."**_ He said, causing the Huntress to growl in response. _**"However, in the end, it appears you and I failed to see eye to eye."**_

 _ **"On the other hand, I must admit that it took you quite some time for you to search for this place. Perhaps this place brings back some unwanted memories?"**_ He questioned.

"..." The woman merely stood there in silence while she kept her fist clenched into a ball.

 _ **"I suppose it doesn't matter now. For you see, I am just one step closer to finishing the last project."**_ The man said, which in turn caused the Huntress to stare at him with a rather alarmed expression.

"No! That monster was destroyed during the Massacre!" She said.

 _ **"That was just a simple prototype. However, I've had ten years to make some final adjustments."**_ He said as he snapped his fingers, causing an audible thud to echo from outside of the lab.

"Do you have any idea how many people died on that day?! How many people were butchered because of these monsters you created?!" The giant questioned the man while some of the robots from all those months ago started to enter the room.

 _ **"Five thousand three hundred twenty-four people. It's best of a scientist keeps track of his experiments."**_ The man said as his projection disappeared from sight.

"Both of you! Scatter! Now! We can't let these things get out of their tubes!" The Huntress roared before she proceeded to run over towards one of the exits to the room. The robots pointed their guns over in our direction, causing the two of us to head towards the nearest exit we could find.

We ran as fast as we possibly could, though we could both tell that the robot was right on our tail. "What in the world is going on?!" Yatsuhashi asked while the two of us ran down the hallways of the underground lab.

"Hell if I know! We can ask questions later! Right now we have two heavily armed robots to deal with!" I yelled as we continued to run away from the robots of Doctor Merlot.

Though we eventually came to a dead end, leaving us nowhere else left to run. Once we turned around, we could see the bots that were pursuing us aiming their weapons at us while the lights coming from different parts of its body started to turn red.

"Get down! Now!" Yatsuhashi said as we proceeded to hide behind some of the metal crates for cover from the oncoming bullets that were being fired from the machine guns that were mounted onto the robot in question.

 _ **"Come now, let's not waste time here."**_ The voice of Doctor Merlot said through the speakers on the bot.

"Damn it. Looks like the old bastard is controlling these things." I whispered to the man. "What do you have in that bag of yours?!" I asked, causing the giant of a man to search through the contents of the bag he had with him.

"Perhaps we could use this! I have a couple of smoke grenades!" He whispered back as he tossed two of the grenades over in my direction.

"It'll have to do!" I said while examining the small object in question. There was a button on the top of the device, which I assumed released all the stored smoke that was being held in the small package. "Get ready!" I said quietly as the bot proceeded to scan the area in hopes to locate the two of us.

The robot started to walk around the area we were in, causing me to grip the small device tightly

Its thundering footsteps could be heard from around the corner, which in turn caused the giant to grip the handle of his blade tightly while his thumb hovered above the button of the grenade.

Just as the foot of the robot could be seen walking around the corner, I initiated the designated signal. "Now!" I shouted as we pressed the buttons on the grenades before throwing them around the corner.

Smoke filled the room while the robots started to scan the area in order to see through the smoke that we had created. Various laser sensors started to move around the room while the bot started to charge it's canons that were mounted on the bottom of the machine gun.

Eventually, it locked onto the giant due to his massive size, though this gave me an opportunity to strike at one of the unsuspecting bots with the force of the spirit behind my attack.

"Take out it's targeting system!" I yelled while rapidly slashing and jabbing at the legs of one of the mechs. The man nodded and rushed forwards with his blade at hand, and just as the robot was about to counter, the giant quickly rammed the blade into the middle of it's targetting sensor.

One of the robots attempted to fire a charged shot over in my direction, though Yatsuhashi quickly used his semblance in order to absorb the attack. Thanks to the man in question, I was able to throw my blade directly into the middle of the bots other targetting sensors, though this left me without any means to attack.

"Watch out!" The giant shouted as he proceeded to push me out of the way of another oncoming attack. He was able to block the foot of the bot with his massive blade, though before I grab the blade, the metal giant attempted to mow me down with its machine guns.

However, due to its massive size, it wasn't able to move as quickly as it wished it could. This made it fairly easy to maneuver around, and once I was able to get behind the robot, I quickly summoned the lower arm of the spirit in order to get the other bot off of the giant.

"Rah!" He roared once the pressure was taken off of him, and while the robot was dazed he jumped up into the air in order to yank the large blade out from the robots targetting sensor.

The bot started to fire various blasts of energy at the two of us, though I was able to use the giant as some sort of shield in order to get away from the two robots. It locked onto the two of us and proceeded to fire a more powerful burst of energy, though the giant was able to use the power he had stored up to counter the attack.

However, this gave us an opportunity to attack and we proceeded to slash and jab at various parts of the bots, the giant using his massive size in order to land heavy blows on them while I used Shade to take them down from a top.

With one final strike, Yatsuhashi used his massive blade in order to slice off one of the machine guns that were mounted onto the side of the robot, causing it to fall to the ground with an audible thud.

"Hmm." The giant hummed while he pushed the bot away with his sheer strength. Though before I could question his sudden actions, the man proceeded to walk over towards the massive machine gun that we had just severed from the robot.

"Come! I have an idea that might put an end to this fight!" He said as he picked up the massive gun. I stared at the giant with a rather confused expression, though right now any plan would be a good plan.

So I nodded my head and proceeded to follow the giant towards the crates that we were hiding behind from before.

Meanwhile, the Archeologist was having a much easier time dealing with the Doctor's Robots, as she had already fought one before. The woman rapidly slammed her fists onto the surface of the bot before she proceeded to lightly jump in order to kick it away with both of her legs.

 _ **"I see you have turned into quite the capable fighter."**_ Merlot said through the speakers of the bot.

"Lord knows I had a lot of time to practice." The woman growled while she cracked her knuckles as she started to walk towards the metal giant.

 _ **"Why are we fighting like this? You were once my most trusted advisor at a time."**_ He said.

"Theoretically speaking, we aren't actually fighting. I'm just taking down one of your robots." She said as she proceeded to throw a barrage of blows at the metal shell of the robot in question.

 _ **"Perhaps."**_ He said in response to the woman's statement.

"It's rather simple either way. You're a mad man who needs to be put down before any more of his experiments can harm any more people." She said while slamming her fist onto the frame of the bot.

 ** _"Oh? Is that right? Perhaps there's another reason that you wish to end all of this. Perhaps it's because you've lived with the burden of knowledge for an entire decade now."_** Merlot said through the speakers.

"..." A cold silence was the only response he got from the Huntress as she proceeded to uppercut the robot that was before her.

 _"This vendetta of yours is going to get yourself killed! You are a Huntress! You took a vow on the day you became one of us! We all did! We are here to protect humanity, not tie up our own loose ends!"_ The voice of Glynda shouted from within her mind.

 _ **"I only wished to help ensure the continued existence of the human race. Collateral damage is only natural when you are dealing with those beasts."**_ He said to the woman.

 _"You saw what he did down there! The man is trying to play god! He's messing with forces that he does not understand!"_ One of the former members of the research team said from within her mind.

Flashes of what had happened from before and during those ten years started to play from within her mind. Memories of the ones she used to call friends started to resurface once again.

"Right, because slaughtering an entire city is considered progress for you." She growled before she proceeded to throw the robot over towards the wall while it fired various energy blasts at her.

 _ **"Oh, I killed them. Have you told them what happened on that day? Have you told them what happened from within the chambers of the secret laboratory?"**_ He asked through the speakers.

"Shut up!" She roared while tanking the various energy blasts that were being thrown in her direction.

 _"The world won't know about what happened, at least not the true story of what happened on that day. We could use someone of your talents, as we have a position open in our Academy."_ Ozpin's voice rang through her head. _"I can ensure that you're involvement will not be disclosed to the council, all I ask is that you do not pursue this matter any further."_

 _ **"Have you told the others? Have you told those two children that you have taken with you? Have you told them of this vendetta you have against me? How you're willing to lay down the lives of those around you if it means settling this score?"**_

"Not this time!" She said while glaring daggers at the robot as her strikes became more powerful as the battle went on. _"I'm so close Maralyn! This next experiment will mark the day that history is made! With these creatures, we will be able to truly live in a world of peace!"_ His words rang in her ear, she should have stopped him before he ever attempted it, though part of her trusted him, though that decision was one that will haunt her conscious _"_ for the rest of her life.

 _ **"So I ask you again, Maralyn. What are you truly fighting for? Humanity or your own consciousness?"**_ He questioned.

"Why don't you stop hiding behind your robots and face me, Victor!" She roared while she pushed the robot back with the energy she had within her body. She reeled her fist back and slammed it onto the surface of the robot's fist, causing it to shatter into pieces of metal.

 _ **"War is coming. I am just simply trying to make sure that we are on the right side of the battle."**_ Merlot said as the woman proceeded to release every ounce of energy she had left in order to destroy the bot.

Once the deed was done, she breathed heavily while staring down at the palms of her hands. "Not this time. Not this time." She repeated as her voice started to shake.

Meanwhile, the bot was still scanning the area around it in order to locate the two of us, though the robot quickly turned around once it heard the sound of my voice. "Hey!" I shouted, causing it to aim its gun over in my direction.

"That's right. Come on, right over here." I said while motioning the robot to come towards me, and in turn, this caused the robot to fire various bullets in hopes to take me down. However, I used the armor of Shade to block the oncoming barrage before I started to run towards the bot with the blade at my side.

Once the robot got within my range, I started to rapidly slash and jab at the metal joints on the bot in hopes to wear it down. It tried to shoot more energy shots at me, though Shade merely deflected the blast before it could even reach me.

With every passing strike, I could feel the strength of the spirit more and more, until eventually, I swung the blade as hard as I possibly could, causing the spirit in question to slice of the last remaining arm of the robot.

"Take it down!" I yelled before I proceeded to move away from the damaged machine.

The giant could be seen with the machine gun mounted over his shoulders, as with the right amount of adjustments we could use the mounted weapon to our advantage. He pulled some sort of lever and proceeded to open fire upon the robot.

Bits of metal flew off of its surface until eventually, the man was able to reach the core of the bot. Once the core had been damaged, a small explosion echoed throughout the area as the robot fell down to the ground.

"Has it been defeated?" The man questioned.

"Sure looks like it," I said as I walked up to the bot in question in order to make sure that we actually won the battle. "Where did you learn how to do that anyway?" I asked the man.

"You'd be surprised what you could learn from the Academy. That and I happen to have a leader who is very knowledgeable with heavy artillery." He said with a chuckle while he walked over towards me with the gun mounted on his shoulder.

"Come on, we should head back. Hopefully, the other bot has been dealt with." I commented as the two of us proceeded to walk through the halls in order to get back to the secret lab.

It took us quite some time, though we were eventually able to arrive at the room with the various tubes of animal-like abominations. The Huntress could be seen standing in the middle of the room with a rather serious expression on her face.

"You still going through that thing?" I asked, causing the woman to turn her attention over towards the two of us.

"Oh, yeah I am. Any information that could lead us to the whereabouts of Doctor Merlot will be invaluable." She responded, though I noticed that the hands of the Huntress were beginning to shake suddenly.

"You okay?" I questioned.

However, before she could respond, we could hear the sound of a sudden metallic clap coming from behind us. _**"Not bad."**_ Doctor Merlot said, causing the three of us to turn our heads towards the holographic man.

 _ **"Though it does not matter now. I am so close to finishing what I had started all those years ago, and I did not come this far just to be stopped."**_ He said as he pressed some sort of button on his metallic arm.

Suddenly, alarms could be heard echoing throughout the entire facility. **"Fail Safe has been activated. Thirty seconds until explosion."** The voice said through the alarms.

 _ **"I cannot take any chances, not when I have come this close. The doors have been closed and the elevator has left."** _Victor said. _**"**_ _ **May you find peace when you reach the afterlife."**_

With that, the projection of the man disappeared from sight. "Get those doors open! Now!" The Huntress shouted with a hint of desperation in her voice. The two of us nodded and started to attempt to pry the doors open with every ounce of strength we could possibly muster.

Though the doors were sealed tightly, and the giant couldn't even open the door, even with his massive strength. I growled and pushed the giant in order to use the force of Shade to pry open the door.

With the aid of the spirit, I was actually able to get them open, though it didn't matter in the end. The elevator had left, just as Doctor Merlot had said before he disappeared from sight.

 **"Explosion Imminent in five seconds."** The voice said.

"What now?!" I asked in a panicked tone

 **"Explosion Imminent in four seconds."**

"I'm thinking! Just give me a second!" The Archeologist shouted as she was desperately trying to come up with a plan that could get us out of this situation. Though no matter how hard she thought, nothing came to her.

We were trapped.

 **"Explosion Imminent in three seconds."**

I was about to say something to the woman in order to break her out of her thought process, though I was quickly cut off at the sudden grasp of the giant. "You need to strike at my chest with your abilities!"

His sudden statement took me by surprise, though I quickly nodded and proceeded to ram the fist of the spirit onto the chest of the giant. He reeled back in pain for a bit, though he was able to regain his composure while his eyes glowed with a green light.

 **"Explosion Imminent in two seconds."**

Yatsuhashi rushed towards the Huntress as he proceeded to grasp onto us with his iron grip. Once the final moment of the countdown was announced, the giant proceeded to activate his semblance in order to create a barrier that surrounded us.

There was the sound of an explosion, and then everything went black as the sound echoed throughout my ears.

Meanwhile, at Beacon Tower, the man known as Professor Ozpin was currently sitting at his desk with a mug of coffee in his hand. It was a rather peaceful day, all things considered, at least that's what he thought until the sudden sound of an explosion reached his ears.

"What in the name of the gods?" He asked while he stood up from his desk chair in order to gaze out the large window he had in his office. However, what he saw made his blood run cold.

Smoke, specifically smoke from a recent explosion. The cloud could be seen forming around the area of the former building of Merlot Industries, once he realized that he pieced together the bits of the puzzle.

He was about to contact his advisor, Glynda Goodwitch, though it seems that she was well ahead of the man. _"Professor!"_ She said in a rather panicked and alarmed tone. The sound of murmurs could be heard from the other side of the call, no doubt the students of the school had heard the explosion.

"I know! Gather Oobleck and Port at once! Head down to Mountain Glenn!" Ozpin said.

 _"Understood!"_ She said before cutting off the call.

The headmaster internally swore before he turned back towards the source of the explosion. He wanted to join the professors on their journey towards Mountain Glenn, as he was all but certain that the Archeologist had something to do with it.

However, he could not leave the Academy unprotected, he could not leave the Vault unprotected. All he could do was hope that the professors would bring back the woman safe and sound.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus, another chapter of our story has come to an end. The search for the man known as Victor Merlot has begun, though disaster strikes once the man himself makes an appearance.**_

 _ **Many battles were fought on that day, and the Archeologist found herself experiencing more troubles then she had originally bargained for. Though now with the sudden explosion, our allies back at the Academy race to aid our heroes.**_

 _ **They had thought that coming to where it had all began would give them the answers they desired, though it appears that the man is one step closer to finishing his creation.**_

 _ **A creation that would surely cause more death destruction then the one before if it were to be released into this world. However, that is a story for another time, and that time is sooner then one would believe.**_

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 _ **So I'm sure that some of you are curious as to why the chapter from last week felt incomplete when compared to the other ones. Well, that's because it wasn't finished in a sense.**_

 _ **I wasn't able to finish as much as I wanted to before the deadline arrived. As such, I did as much as I possibly could and released the chapter. I will make sure that something like this does not happen again, though I will make efforts to add more into that chapter.**_

 _ **Some things I have added that didn't make the original cut due to the deadline were...**_

 ** _Yatsuhashi's reason for staying in the White Fang, despite it going against his core beliefs and values, as well as the reason why Maralyn drinks and smokes as much as she does._**

 ** _I will also try to refine some of the writing near the end, as most of that was rushed due to the deadlines. Hopefully, something like this will not happen again._**

 _ **...**_

 _ **Ruby's Guide to The World of Remnant**_

 _ **Mountain Glenn**_

 _ **So this is actually a pretty good time to talk about one of the Kingdom's failed expansions, though I don't really know a whole lot about the place, to begin with.**_

 _ **The place was a failed expansion for the City of Vale, and there were a lot of people who died when the monster was set loose. That day was known as the Massacre of Mountain Glenn.**_

 _ **A lot of people died that day, though no one really knows what actually happened. We know that there was some sort of monster that rampaged through the city, though nobody knows where it came from.**_

 _ **I doubt we'll ever know, though that was a really tragic day. Now it's home to some of the nastiest monsters to have ever roamed this planet, so steer clear from that place at all costs!**_

 _ **Stay Safe and Happy Hunting!**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: Maralyn**_


	14. Maralyn

**_The Story so Far... It took quite some time, and many obstacles had to be overcome before our hero was ready to take on the greatest tragedy that had ever befallen onto the Kingdom of Vale._**

 ** _However, after months of training and hardships, the group was finally ready to scale the mountain, with some unforeseen help of course. Though while entering the city proved to have its own set of challenges, the real conflict was from within the former facility of Merlot Industries._**

 ** _Our heroes entered the building with the intention of obtaining information that could possibly lead them to the whereabouts of Victor. Rather than obtaining this information, however, the man himself made an appearance to the group._**

 ** _It was revealed that the man wishes to recreate the monster that decimated the city all those years ago in hopes to create the perfect specimen that would lead humanity towards the next phase of its evolution._**

 ** _Though in a failed attempt to strike down the group, the Doctor decides to completely destroy the facility itself while our heroes were still inside. The explosion could be heard from all throughout the city, and the Academy had already sent a group of Huntsmen to take care of the situation._**

 _ **Now, the story shall continue onward, only this time it will be told through a new set of eyes, as well as present a wide variety of troubles and challenges to overcome.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Maralyn**_

I don't really know what happened, all I really recall was some sort of force around my torso and the sound of the explosion that was the result of Victor activating the failsafe that was installed in the buildings security system.

The program was installed in case the secrets that the building held had been threatened to fall into the hands of those who would use it against humanity. Every single member of the staff had to sign a waiver, saying that they were willing to accept all the consequences that would follow in case there was a situation where the failsafe was activated.

However, from the looks of things, the time was changed from five minutes to about five seconds. Though the rest is a little clouded, I can't really remember anything else past the explosion.

Not really sure where I am at the moment, I suppose I lost consciousness once the explosion hit us, though the fact that I'm even regaining consciousness in the first place means that whatever plan that those two hatched worked in some form or another.

So if I'm alive, then there's a good chance that those two survived as well. Hopefully, the prototypes didn't make it through the explosion, otherwise we're gonna have a whole new set of problems on our hands.

Hmm, I can hear someone from the distance. It doesn't sound like either of those two, does that mean that there were others within the area when the explosion happened? Great, as if there weren't enough problems present as it is. I can feel something stirring, I should be able to open my eyes now.

Though once I actually awoke from my unconscious state, I saw a rather peculiar sight. I was expecting there to be rubble and flames all around the area, though from the looks of things, I'm in some sort of bedroom.

 _My bedroom to be more specific, although it was a lot cleaner than I originally remember. Now that I think about it, I don't really remember a whole lot from before, all I'm really able to recall was the sound of an explosion and two well-armed men standing in front of my eyes._

 _Other then that, nothing's really coming to mind._

 _However, before I could think upon the situation any further, the sound of someone knocking at my front door quickly brought me back into reality. I was slightly dazed from the sudden sound, though I quickly regained my composure and proceeded to head on downstairs in order to answer the door._

 _I gripped the doorknob and opened the door to see an old postman standing on the porch to my front door. "Oh, hello." I simply said while rubbing my eyes._

 _"Good morning Ms. Maralyn. I hope I didn't disturb you at this hour." The mailman said with a kind smile. "Here, I have a package with your address on it." He said as he pulled out a small box from within his bag._

 _"Oh, thank you," I said before I grasped onto the cardboard surface._

 _"Not a problem. Sign here if you will." The old man said as he took out some sort of clipboard with a pen attached to it. "Just sign here and here." He said while pointing towards the areas to where I had to give my signature._

 _I nodded and proceeded to do as the postman had instructed. "I must say, a package from Merlot Industries is quite the treat." The man said to me with a jovial laugh in his voice._

 _However, I was still rather dazed at that strange dream that I had. I don't really remember much of what happened, though all I do remember was the explosion that rang throughout the facility._

 _"Are you okay? You seem rather amiss." The man asked._

 _"Oh, yeah I'm fine," I responded in hopes to ease the man's mind. He was still rather concerned, though he eventually shook it off. "Hmm...There we are." I said as I finished all the required paperwork for the transaction._

 _"I suppose it is, wasn't exactly easy to get this job though," I said in response to the man's statement._

 _"Ah! Right! You were given a position on the companies research team, were you not?" He questioned, to which I simply nodded my head. "My, what a position indeed! I see you are living out your youth to the fullest!"_

 _"I'm twenty-seven," I responded._

 _"None the less, I wish you the best of luck on the first day of your job!" The postman said as he started to head back towards the postal truck. Once I closed the front door to my house, I started to open the package that had just been delivered to my doorstep._

 _From within the box, I could see some sort of badge with that stated the position I had from within the company. The logo could be seen on the back of the badge, as well as some sort of barcode._

 _There was also a stack of papers that held the various research notes that would no doubt be useful to me in the near future._

 _"I suppose this helps," I commented to no one in particular as I flipped through the pages of the notes. There were a lot of notes to go over, though I was able to gather that we would be creating some sort of Artificial Intelligence Unit. Once I had finished skimming through the research notes, I neatly organized them and placed the slips of paper into the travel bag that I had._

 _After I made my final preparations, I started to make my way over towards the main building of Merlot Industries._

 _The building was located in the current expansion of Vale, which was being called Mountain Glenn by some of the locals and workers. It was still being developed, though there were companies that had decided to set up a facility of their own there, Merlot Industries being one of the few who had managed to buy some property._

 _It was rather loud, though I suppose that was only natural given how this whole area is a construction site. Construction workers were either talking amongst one another, or busy working on building some of the structures from within the city._

 _The Military of the Kingdom of Vale could be seen patrolling the area, each soldier was well armed with some of the finest weapons that command had to offer. Though amidst all of the workers and members of the military, a few individuals stood out from the crowd of people._

 _I had seen my fair share of warriors during my studies, and there was no mistake about it, there were indeed some of the Academies Huntsmen and Huntresses roaming the area with their respective weapons at hand._

 _Once I saw the presence of these warriors on the construction site, I started to question the motives of each individual warrior. Determining why the Military was there wasn't exactly a challenge, every soldier was here simply because their commanding officer ordered them to._

 _Though the same can't be said with the Huntsmen and Huntresses of the world. The Council only picks which jobs are available to them, not which jobs they pick to begin with, so it's rather difficult to tell the intent behind each warrior here._

 _Some could be here to honor the code that the profession stands for, to protect the people of this world from the dangers that lurk, though on the other hand, some could be here simply because the pay is good._

 _I suppose it doesn't really matter why they're here, as long as they do the job they were tasked to doing then it isn't much of a problem. Once I exhaled heavily, I proceeded to make my way over towards the tallest building from within the city, the main facility of Merlot Industries._

 _The building was well fortified, not only that though it was well guarded. I could see various patrol vehicles circling the area around the facility while some of the Huntsmen and Huntress conversed amongst one another._

 _Before I could walk over towards the building, I was quickly stopped by one of the members of the military. "Hold! This is a restricted area! Please vacate the area immediately!" She said._

 _The only response that I have her was to reach into my pocket in order to pull out the I.D that was given to me earlier. Once she actually read the I.D, her attitude quickly changed._

 _"Hmm. Oh! Terribly sorry Ma'am! I did not know you worked here! Please accept my sincerest apologies!" The member of the military said once she saw the staff I.D that was given to employees of the company._

 _"It's alright," I said as I walked past the woman with the travel bag I had at my side._

 _"Do you want me to escort you into the building?!" She asked._

 _"No, I think I can handle it." I simply responded while walking towards the front doors of the structure. Once I actually entered the building, I could see various members of the staff wandering through the lobby of the building._

 _At the top of the receptionist's desk, I could see the slogan for the company written in bold letters on the billboard. Merlot Industries, the next step in humanity's evolution._

 _"Can I help you with something, Miss?" I heard the man behind the desk asked._

 _"Hmm? Oh, yes. My name is Maralyn Naturae. I'm one of the researchers that received a position here in the company. Could you point me in the direction of the meeting room? I'm supposed to be there in about ten minutes." I requested._

 _"Ah! Yes of course. I've heard about you from some of the staff. Youngest scientist to have ever been assigned onto a research team. It's on the sixteenth floor in the room to the far left!" The man said as he pointed his finger over towards the elevator. " Just use the barcode on the back of your badge to access the research room. Have a wonderful day, Ma'am!" He said before he returned to the stack of papers that he had on his front desk._

 _I made my way over towards the elevator and hit the button with the number sixteen on it. Once I felt the metal box moving upwards, I started to think back on the projects that we would be working on._

 _Time was of the essence, so I only really skimmed through what we were working on. I was able to get the gist that we were going to work on an Artifical Intelligence Unit, though I don't really know what the program is for._

 _Not only that though my mind was still on that strange dream that I had. It felt so real, the sound of the explosion, the sudden force that hit me before it actually happened, it was all so strange._

 _However, I can worry about that at a later time. Right now I need to focus on the task at hand. Once I got onto the floor that I was told to go to, I began to look for the staff meeting room that was on the left of the building. Eventually, a large door in the far left corner of the building was within view._

 _I stood before the door, trying to determine whether or not I was actually in the right place. Though after searching for a good minute, I managed to locate the scanner that would allow access to the room_

 _So I took my badge and swiped the barcode across the surface, causing the console to turn green as the doors unlocked. I took a deep breath and stepped inside, though once I did I could see a group of people from within the room. They were all conversing amongst one another and didn't seem to take notice of my presence._

 _I found an open seat next to one of the scientists, who was rather muscular. He seemed to have a rather disinterested expression on his face, though I decided that it would have been best to keep quiet for the time being. A few moments went by before the head of the research team stepped into the room with some sort of clipboard._

 _"Alright. Everyone settle down. We have a lot on the agenda today." The man said before he put his glasses on in order to read the stack of papers that had been given to him earlier._

 _"First off, we have a few things to address before we get started. Firstly, we've been given a new task by the head of the company. You've all gotten research notes in the mail today." He said to everyone. "Don't worry if you didn't read it, lord knows I didn't." This caused everyone in the room to let out a slight chuckle._

 _"We'll be going over the more important parts of the notes shortly, though secondly, we have a new recruit to our research team." He said before staring directly over in my direction._

 _"..." I merely sat there in silence as everyone's eyes were drawn over to where I was sitting._

 _"This is Maralyn. She will be creating Artifical Intelligence Units for the machines we will be developing." The man said as he flipped through his notes. "Alright, so let's go over what we'll be doing for the rest of the year."_

 _However, as the man was going on about what we needed to do, I noticed something off about a part of his statement. He never said anything about an Artifical Intelligence Development Team._

 _"First off, the Council has presented a new project before us. As all of you know, the Creatures of Grimm have been getting smarter and smarter as the days go by. As such, they want to know why that is, as well as how to counter this sudden spike in intellect." He said. "That's where we come in. Thanks to some of the Huntsmen and Huntresses that were within the city, we have been supplied with some test subjects."_

 _Murmurs could be heard from within the room, though I suppose it was only natural considering a project like this was so out of the norm for this company. It was founded on the development of A.I that aid in data management._

 _Though from the sounds of it, the one we would be creating would be more combat focused. "It will be our job to understand how these monsters have suddenly spiked in intellect, as well as making an A.I program that can help the Military and the Huntsmen out in the field." He said._

 _"Now that's where our new recruit comes in. As all of you know, combat isn't exactly this companies strong suit. We're more focused on more practical ways to help humanity." The man said. "However, Maralyn here just so happens to be an expert when it comes to combat A.I."_

 _This, in turn, caused everyone to stare at me while talking amongst themselves. It was rather uneasy if anything, as I wasn't really accustomed to being the center of attention._

 _"She will be in charge of actually developing the computer program while we will focus on creating a machine to run it. Not only that but we will also be studying the behavior of the Creatures of Grimm, as it now seems to be more of a priority to the council." He said._

 _"I understand that what we're doing isn't exactly the safest project in the world, though we have a job to do." He said. "You all know your roles, this is the starting point for a new age." The man said as he gathered his papers._

 _"You are all dismissed." He said as he proceeded to walk out of the room._

 ** _..._**

The sound of the crackling fire from the blast could be heard from all around the area once I actually regained consciousness. The air was hot and the smell of smoke and debris lingered, causing me to let out a few coughs in response.

My vision was blurred, though, after a few moments of attempted to get in touch with my surroundings, I was eventually able to stand up. "Agh!" I grunted once I felt a sharp pain on my side.

"That went badly," I said before managing to regain my footing. I started to look around for any signs of The Giant or The Archeologist, though neither one of them could be seen from within the cavern that I had fallen into.

I started to pat down my pockets to see if the Relic that Shade had given to me had been lost during the fall, and I let out a rather audible growl once I grabbed the empty space of where the object should have been.

"Damn it," I swore as I proceeded to search the area in hopes to locate the Relic in question. It took me a few moments, though I let out a sigh of relief once I saw that the object wasn't too far away from where I was.

Not only that though I could see the blade of the spirit wedged in a rock near the object. Once I had gathered the objects, I proceeded to debate on what the next course of action should be.

Right now it would be best if I began to search for The Giant and The Huntress. I was still able to fight, though right now it would be better if I had some backup, as I was still within the most dangerous set of caves known to the Kingdom of Vale.

I looked around the area in case there were any threats that lurked on the horizon, though once I was certain that there were no monsters in sight, I started to walk down the hill of debris that had formed.

The sound of some of the buildings falling due to the explosion could be heard from the distance, as well as felt from within the ground. Things didn't seem to be looking up anytime soon, though right now all I needed to focus on was finding those two and getting the hell out of this place.

However, before I could continue my search for the duo in question, the sound of a growl made it's way over towards my ears, which in turn, caused me to raise my guard in order to prepare for the oncoming threat.

Though just as I thought the situation couldn't get worse, the sight of some sort of strange creature proved otherwise. It wasn't like any other monster I had seen, as it didn't even look natural.

It had a similar appearance to that of a Worgen, though it's upper body was unnaturally big and the white bone on its body had been removed for some reason. Not only that though it emanated some sort of red aura as it snarled over in my direction. Before I could attempt to get a solid grasp on the situation, the beast charged at surprising speeds for its size.

Fortunately, I was able to dodge the oncoming attack, though it was only inches away from ending my life. Once it slammed into the wall, I proceeded to run in the opposite direction in hopes to lose the monster.

I wasn't about to fight a threat that I knew little to nothing about, especially something that was made by the madman that caused the Massacre of Mountain Glenn all those years ago.

The sound of the beasts roar could be heard over back from where the hill of debris was, causing a chill to go down my spine. I could hear it's thunderous footsteps coming from behind me.

It was clear that running away from this monster was no longer going to be an option. I was going to have to get the jump on this thing somehow, though to do that I would need to find a suitable hiding spot.

At the corner of my eye, I could see a small little cavern that would allow for an easy hiding spot from this beast. I jumped onto the ground and backed up against the wall of the hole in hopes to shake the monster off of my trail.

The footsteps of the monster could be heard from around the corner, it's red eyes scanning the area around it in hopes to locate its prey. I quickly poke my head around the corner to see what exactly the monster was doing, though from the looks of it it was still rather busy searching the area.

Once the monster started to walk away from the small cavern, I was able to deduce one of two things. One, this monster wasn't able to sense negative emotions like some of its predecessors, even though my heart was racing at a hundred miles an hour.

Not only that, this meant that getting the jump on it would prove to be far less challenging then I had originally thought. There was no way I would be able to fight this thing in single combat.

Acting quickly in response to the monster's movements, I ran towards one of another hole in the wall before I hid behind one of the corners once again. I could hear the beast growly as it's started to come closer to where it had heard the sudden sound.

Its breath could practically be felt crawling down my skin as it was right above the hiding place I had found. Though it eventually moved on from where I was hiding, and once I was certain it was a good distance away from the hiding spot, I summoned every ounce of strength that I had in order to run towards a small passageway.

The beast roared as it proceeded to rush towards me with a savage expression on its face. Once I ran into the cave, I could see the monster flail and roar wildly in attempts to grasp onto its prey.

After a few moments of it struggling later, the monster eventually gave up its pursuit for the time being. I took a deep breath and proceeded to lightly job down the stone passageway in hopes to lose the monster, though once I dropped off of the small cliff in order to reach the ground below, I could see the monster searching the area once again.

I hugged the wall while maneuvering around the monster as it started to walk around the stone pillar that was keeping the cave from falling apart. I contemplated on whether or not I should use this opportunity to strike, as the beasts back was turned, though I needed to be certain that I would be able to deal a devastating blow to the monster before I initiated anything.

Though after a few moments of hiding behind the wall later, I could eventually feel the monsters breathe from around the corner. Once I caught even the slightest glimpse of the monsters head, I came out of the hiding spot and jammed the blade of Shade into its eye, causing it to shriek in agony.

It started to flail on the ground wildly while clutching its head, though rather than rolling over to die, it simply got back up from off the ground with an audible snarl coming from its snout.

"You gotta be kidding," I swore under my breath before I started to run away from the monster while it was recovering from the blow it had received. I ran as fast as any man could run, using the force of the spirit to propel me up towards a cave that was a little higher up from the ground.

I half expected for the beast to struggle to enter the small cavern, though through it's rage it was able to push itself through the small cave. Adapting to the sudden change in the monsters approach, I ran over towards one of the small cliffs from within the caves in hopes to lose the creature.

Seeing as it wasn't able to push through any further, the beast eventually gave up on this approach before proceeding to make its way out of the cave. There was some sort of stone bridge on the other side of the cave, one that could possibly put me in the right direction when it came to my search for the monster.

Once I was sure that the beast was nowhere in sight, I started to sprint across the stone structure in hopes to lose the monster for good. The original plan was to find a chance that would allow me to strike down the beast, though seeing as how it seemingly walked off a blade to the eye that plan was out the window.

Though just as I had thought that I had lost the monster, I could hear it roar from within the distance. It slammed into the center of the bridge with great force, though this caused the structure to cave in from beneath us.

I wasn't able to get to the other side of the bridge, though I was able to land on a small cave entrance that could be seen on the walls of the large hole. The beast landed on the ground with an audible thud.

With the beast off of my trail, for the time being, I leaned on the stone wall in hopes to catch my breath. I haven't actually had to ever run from a threat, not since the first day I had arrived here.

However, the situation here was different. This was a completely different kind of threat, one that was man-made, as such it was bound to have some strange quirks, as seen by the fact that it was able to walk off a stab wound to the eye.

After finally catching my breath, I proceeded to make my way through the caves in hopes to locate someone. The caves were pitch black, making it rather hard to see where I was going.

Though just as I had thought that I had lost the monster, I could see its blood red eyes from within the darkness, scanning the area in hopes to locate its prey. I internally swore to myself before I started to maneuver around the caves, or at least attempting to do so.

It didn't really help that the caverns were near pitch black, though as strange as it was, the light from the monster's eyes allowed some light to shine from within the dark passageway.

Rocks started to fall from off the edge, causing the monster to growl in response. I started to move quickly in hopes to lose the beast, though as fate would have it, some of the wildlife had attracted the attention of the beast in question.

This gave me the distraction that I needed, and I started to bolt towards one of the buildings in hopes to lose the abomination. Once I entered the building, another cave could be spotted on the other side of the structure.

Hoping for the best, I started to walk down the pathway. Though once I reached the end of the cave, I reached a dead end, as there was no way I would be able to jump down from this height without hurting myself in some form or another.

I was just about to head on back through the caves to see if I couldn't find another way around, though the sound of the growl from the monster bellow stopped me from backtracking.

From the looks of it, the beast hasn't noticed my presence yet. An idea popped into my head suddenly, I'll be it not a very safe one, though it was an idea none the less. I took a deep breath and started to walk back a few meters in order to get a running start before I bolted off the side of the cliff.

"Hey!" I shouted in order to get the attention of the monster and from the looks of it, the monster took the bait as it wasted no time jumping up into the air. Just as it was about to grasp onto me, I maneuvered myself in order to ram the blade into the head of the monster.

The two of us landed on the ground with an audible thud, though the monster was able to break the fall. It wasn't moving, from the looks of things the monster had finally been taken down.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I pulled my sword out of the beasts head and proceeded to walk off into the distance. That was until I heard the monster growl, sending chills down my spine as I slowly turned around to face the beast.

It was stumbling a bit, though sure enough, it was back on its two feet once again. I started to back up slowly while sweat started to fall down my forehead, though before the monster could take a step further, it was stopped by a sudden force coming from behind it.

As fate would have it, the giant could be seen right behind the beast with a rather ferocious expression on his face. He roared as he proceeded to throw the monster over his shoulder and onto the ground.

"My friend! I found you at last!" He said. "I was afraid that the rubble from the blast would have ended your life."

"Thanks, though I don't think we're out of this situation just yet," I said, which in turn, caused the man to turn around to see the monster getting up from off the ground with a snarl.

"I presume that this is one of the Doctor's prototypes?" Yatsuhashi questioned as he readied his giant blade in order to prepare for the next phase of the oncoming battle.

"Yeah, this is one of them at least. Considering this one even survived I can only assume that some of the other experiments made it." I said while glaring at the monster before us.

"Things just seem to get more and more complicated." He said in response.

"No kidding."

 _ **...**_

 _A few months went by ever since I had been hired into the company known as Merlot Industries, and things were going rather smoothly for the most part. The machines that would help run the Artifical Intelligence Unit had just been completed._

 _Right now, all that was needed was the actual A.I in question. I had never made something this complex before, though after a lot of hard work and about a dozen cups of coffee a night, I had managed to finish creating the computer program._

 _"Come on..." I said to myself as I made the final finishing touches on the console for the Artifical Intelligence. "Done!" I shouted before I threw my hands up into the air in order to celebrate._

 _As if on cue, I could hear a knock on the front door of my office. "Come in," I said as the head of the project walked in with a clipboard in his hand. "Oh, hello Brock. Is there something you need help with?"_

 _"I was coming to get an update on your progress, though considering the done could be heard from inside your office, I don't think that's really necessary." He said with one of his eyebrows raised._

 _"Right. Just needed to make some of the finishing touches before we run any tests." I said before I grasped the small console in the palm of my hand._

 _"So are you going to activate the Artificial Intelligence Unit?" The man questioned.  
_

 _"In time," I said._

 _"Not really sure about you, though I would just like to make sure that the program actually runs properly before we hook it up to the machine for testing," Brock said in response._

 _"Listen, I spent over four months of non-stop work on this program. I didn't do nearly twenty all-nighters just so that the program could fail on us. The A.I will function, you can be certain of that." I said._

 _"Just want to be sure. Can't ever be too careful."_

 _"...Fair enough." I grumbled before I activated the Artificial Intelligence Unit. It took a few moments due to the various other programs that were running as it booted up, though eventually the figure of some sort of gray man could be seen on the top of the device._

 ** _"Where am I?"_** _The program questioned as it scanned its surroundings. **"Who are you two? What's going on?"** His series of questions didn't seem to stop any time soon, so I decided to stop it before it could continue._

 _"You're in an office, to be more specific, you're in my office. My name is Maralyn, and this here is Brock." I said before I turned my head over towards the man in question._

 _"Hello. Good to meet you...What do we call you again?" He questioned._

 _"..." I sat there with a poker face once I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to come up with a name for the program. "You're name is...Granite." The computer program seemed to accept this name._

 ** _"Right."_** _It said in response._

 _"Do you know what you're purpose is? What you were created for?" I asked._

 _The computer program pinched its digital chin for a few moments before coming up with an answer. **"Things are still rather unclear, though I think I can answer that question at least** **. It has something to do with fighting."** He said._

 _"Exactly, you were specifically created in order to aid someone in a combat scenario. Whether it be managing equipment or coming up with a plan of action. " I said with a grin._

 ** _"That sounds about right. Though what are we fighting in the first place?"_** _He questioned._

 _"Well, that's a bit complicated. It seems as though humanity is in a never-ending battle against a wide variety of threats. Though currently, our main problem would have to do with the monsters of this world." I said._

 ** _"I'm not sure what you mean."_** _The Program said._

 _"That's the problem. The monsters we told you about have been growing in intellect within the past decade. The cause of this has still yet to be revealed, however, at the moment our attention is more focused on how we're going to adapt." I said. "That's where you come in, Granite."_

 ** _"What do you want me to do about it?"_** _It asked._

 _"Simple, we want you to do what you were programmed to do," Brock said._

 _"To be more specific, we'd like you to help with countering these new strategies. These monsters grow smarter and smarter as the days go by, there's no telling how they'll strike next." I said._

 ** _"Hmm, coming up with strategies is the reason I was created. So I suppose I can help you out, though I don't believe I had too much of a choice in the matter, to begin with."_** _He said._

 _"I wouldn't describe it in that way. Though I suppose what you say holds some truth to it." I said._

 ** _"Very well, where do we begin?"_** _The program asked._

 _"First we'd like to run some tests. There don't seem to be any glitches in your programs, though we just want to make sure that everything is running correctly before we move on to the main experiments." Brock said._

 ** _"Understandable."_** _He said._

 _"I'll have some of the staff gather one of the Huntsmen from the Academy." The head of the project said before he proceeded to walk out of the room. I picked up the small console and proceeded to follow the man down towards the research lab._

 _Everything had been set up, the combat arena had been prepared and the turrets were armed in case there were any problems that suddenly arose. The Huntsmen that was requested walked into the room, the man had messy green hair and some sort of beige trench coat._

 _From what I heard, this was one of the more newer additions to the Academies staff, Bartholomew Oobleck. He's the new Historian of the School, as well the History Instructor._

 _"Whenever you are ready, Professor," Brock said into the microphone. The man said something in response, though due to the windows being soundproof, we weren't actually able to hear it._

 _Once he had made his final preparations, the man proceeded to signal us that he was now ready for the test. The head of the research team looked at me with an expression of approval, in turn, causing me to transfer Granite over to the man in the ring._

 _ **"Hello."** He greeted, startling the man suddenly._

 _"Oh my! Terribly sorry! You gave me quite a surprise!" He said._

 ** _"Understood. I am an Artifical Intelligence Unit designed to aid in a combat scenario. Though you may call me by my designated name, Granite."_** _The Program introduced._

 _"Excellent! I am Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck." The man introduced._

 ** _"I will store that name within my memory banks. Though I understand you are aware of the reason you have been called here."_** _He said as the Doctor nodded his head to confirm his statement. **"Excellent, then let us begin the test."**_

 _The man readied his weapon as the metal door started to open from the other side of the room, though just as the beast was released into the arena, everything around the Artifical Intelligence Unit had started to slow down._

 _Granite proceeded to move over towards the monster in order to get some information on what kind of beast the man was fighting. It was a rather large bipedal creature with various spikes around its shoulders and back._

 _It took a few moments to identify the type of monster that this Grimm was, though the program was eventually able to deduce that the thing before him was none other than a Gargoyle, a rather powerful monster that used the use of deception to take down its prey._

 _The beast also had retractable wings on it's back. Once he had identified the type of monster that the man would be fighting, he started to come up with some sort of battle plan in order to take down the beast._

 _Being a combat A.I, the program in question had access to most of the combat records found within the Military and Academies. He started to run various records of encounters with Gargoyle's in hopes to locate any possible weaknesses._

 _Once all the recordings had been stored within his memory banks, he turned around in order to predict the monster's method of attack. A grey silhouette of the beast could be seen charging towards the Huntsmen._

 _He thought to himself that the Gargoyle's relied on their speed in order to get the upper hand on the battle, so he started to implament a way to sever the wings of the monster into the strategy._

 _The strategy of cutting off the monster's method of flight would put Oobleck at a strong advantage, though the people spectating were expecting nothing less than perfection when it came to his performance._

 _He started to analyze the weapon of the man, and he identified that he used a type of Fire Dust in order to create fireballs from the canon on the top of his weapon. He figured that if he were able to shoot a fireball at the monster while it was still airborne, the sudden ignition of flames could possibly throw its trajectory off course._

 _On the other hand, that plan relies heavily on the professor's accuracy and considering that the man was currently wearing a set of spectacles, it would not be a wise decision to rely on the man's vision._

 _An idea occurred to the program, and he proceeded to map out the possibility. Rather than shooting the Gargoyle from within the air, perhaps a more direct counterattack could benefit the man more._

 _He began to judge the explosion radius of a possible explosion from the canon on the top of the weapon. The radius would severely damage the monster, not only that though the sudden flash of light would temporarily blind it, opening it for an assault._

 _Though even after all the blows, it would still not be enough to kill the beast. The A.I started to map out every possible outcome that the beast could take, whether it be taking to the skies, charging in for another assault, or backing off._

 _Either way, he had planned a counter attack for each possible outcome, as well as any other possible ones. Once the A.I was certain that the plan would result in victory, things around the program started to move at normal speeds._

 ** _"Move back!"_** _He said to the doctor in question._

 _The man followed the instructions of the A.I unit and jumped back a few feet, causing the Gargoyle to slam into the ground with an audible thud._

 _Once that phase of the plan was complete, the Artificial Intelligence program continued with his set of instructions, which in turn, caused the man to charge his shot within his weapon before releasing it, causing an audible explosion to echo throughout the arena._

 _The Gargoyle screeched while it gripped its head with its massive hands, struggling to regain its vision due to the sudden flash of light that had consumed it. Once the Professor recognized the opportunity that had been presented with this sudden turn of events, he proceeded to rapidly slam his weapon onto the figure of the monster, causing it to stumble back a few feet._

 _It attempted to fly up into the air in hopes to fall back for the time being, though with the instructions of the Combat A.I told him to use the power of his weapon to propel him up into the air._

 _He used the stored up Fire Dust within his weapon to maneuver around each of the monsters attacks until he eventually landed on it's back. With another shot from his canon, the wings of the monster had been blown completely off of its backside._

 _With the monster grounded, Oobleck continued to strike at it until he raised his club up into the air before slamming it down onto the head of the beast, causing it to evaporate into the air._

 _A buzzer was sounded from within the arena, signaling to the staff that the test was successful. "Good work to the both of you," Brock said. "Now, I think it's time we began the project."_

 _"Right," I said as I called back Granite._

 ** _"So did I pass the test?"_** _He questioned._

 _"That you did. You did really well! It'll be good to have you on the team." I said, however, before we could continue with the project in question, the sound of one of the crew members shouting quickly halted our progress._

 _"Sir! We have a situation down in the main lab!" One of the workers said._

 _"What?!" Brock shouted._

 _"Granite! Head down to the main laboratory! I'm sending you the layout of the facility now!" I said while giving the data to the Artificial Intelligence Unit in question. Once the layout of the building was transferred to the program, he proceeded to make his way over towards the main lab._

 _"Follow me! We're going to take control of the situation!" The head of the team said._

 _I nodded my head and started to follow the two over towards the research laboratory. "What in the hell is going on?!" Brock questioned the worker that had retrieved the two of us._

 _"One of the containers holding the substance that Doctor Merlot created shattered open! Some of the liquid spilled into one cage's!" He said to the two of us. "We're not sure what's going on, though it's nothing good I can say that much!"_

 _"Damn it! Get every Huntsmen and Huntress on the scene!" Brock ordered._

 _"Yessir!" The worker said before running off in the opposite direction._

 _It took us quite some time, though once we actually arrived on the scene, what we saw was quite mind-boggling, to say the least. The monster that had been captured for the project was currently ramming its fist on the fortified glass that was trapping it, though the purple substance could be seen leaking into the body of the monster._

 _The beast flailed wildly as its body grew larger and larger, though the most confusing part about the whole situation was the fact that the bone armor that was on the body of the beast started to fall off until it eventually ripped off its bone mask while shrieking into the air._

 _Once all the bone from its body was removed, it proceeded to shatter the glass with every ounce of strength it could summon. "How in the hell?!" Brock shouted as every worker started to run away from the lab in a panic._

 _"Both of you get back! Now!" They heard an old man's voice call out._

 _Doctor Oobleck and a white-haired man dressed in red walked into the room with their respective weapons at hand. The monster roared into the air before slowly making its way over towards the two men._

 _It was clearly having a rather difficult time moving around due to its sudden increase in upper body mass. The two Huntsmen charged towards the monster in hopes to take control of the situation._

 _"What in the name of the gods is going on down here?!" The voice of the director himself, Doctor Merlot, could be heard from behind the duo._

 _"Sir!" The head of the team said. "Stay back! The Huntsmen are handling the situation the best they can!" He said while preventing the man in question from walking any closer to the monster._

 _"Did the staff make it out! Were there any casualties?!" He questioned._

 _"We can't say for certain yet! Though so far there haven't been any deaths reported from the members of our staff!" The man said as he turned around to spectate the battle between the unknown monster and the two Huntsmen._

 _"Come now!" The old man said while firing a few fireballs over in the direction of the monster, though the fire didn't seem to have any effect on the beast. It merely shrieked over at the duo before it slammed its fist over in the man's direction though due to its increased mass, its movements were much slower than before, this allows the professor to use his mallet to jump up into the air._

 _The old man quickly maneuvered around the monster before he slashed at his back with the axe on the end of his Blunderbuss. However, this didn't seem to phase the monster as it quickly grabbed the professor underneath him before it threw him over at one of the walls._

 _The Doctor in question jumped up into the air in order to dodge the oncoming projectile, though the old man was able to ram his axe into the floor in order to stop himself._

 _However, the doctor failed to notice that the monster was right above him, and before he could dodge the attack, the monster had already rammed its fist onto the side of the Doctor._

 _In a fit of rage, the old man's aura flared around his body, causing him to charge towards the Beast in question. He slammed his fist onto the stomach of the Grimm, sending it sliding across the rocky ground._

 _However, the beast didn't seem to mind all that much as it quickly rammed its head onto the figure of the man._

 _The two continued with this power struggle, though what the beast lacked in speed he made up for in strength. It was easily able to overpower the man before it slammed its fist onto his back._

 _Once the man got up, the monster slammed its fist onto the figure of the professor, causing him to let out a rather pained grunt as he flew back towards some of the machines._

 _"Port!" Oobleck cried out once he recovered from the blow he had received from before. The man rushed towards the monster, causing to screech in response as it slammed its arm down in hopes to crush the professor, though, with his quick movements, he was able to maneuver himself around the beast while attacking the monster._

 _The ground started to shake due to Professor Port's Semblance. His body grew to a similar size to that of the monster and his eyes glowed with a grey aura. "Aha! Now, this is a battle! A fight against an unknown beast! It shall be a wonderful story to tell to the future generations!" He roared before he rushed over to take on the beast._

 _His footsteps made audible thuds before the monster eventually got into the man's range. Oobleck quickly jumped away in order for the two titans to clash with one another._

 _The two giant started to exchange blows, causing a small gust of wind to blow past us as each attack connected. However, eventually, the professor was able to kick the monster in the stomach before he slammed his axe onto the head of the beast._

 _"Aha! Now let us end this battle once and for all!" Port said with a laugh, though his time of joy was quickly cut off once they saw a rather unusual occurrence coming from the beast in question._

 _What they hadn't expected was for the beast to stay alive for a few moments after receiving such a devastating blow to the head. It glowed with a bright light and its body started to expand._

 _"Hmm, what is this?" He questioned, though the Historian was able to piece together what was happening in order to warn his partner about the oncoming threat._

 _"It's going to explode! Port!" Oobleck shouted, causing the man to voice his understandings. The professor rushed over towards the monster and wrapped his arms around it. He ran over in the direction of one of the windows before proceeding to throw the monster out of the facility._

 _Once it was outside of the facility, the professor aimed his weapon at the beast before pulling the trigger. The beast exploded into ash once the fireball made contact with its body._

 _With that, the mysterious monster had been vanquished thanks to the two professors._

 _Port let out a hearty sigh before reverting back to his original form. "Now that was close. Lord knows what would have happened if the beast had been allowed to self destruct from within the compound."_

 _"Let us be thankful that it did not come to that," Oobleck said. "Is everyone alright?!" He shouted over at the rest of the staff._

 _There were a few people who had been injured, though fortunately for us, no casualties have been reported. **"Everyone from within the building has been evacuated. Minimal damage was reported."** Granite said as he appeared beside the two of us._

 _"Good, lord knows what would have happened if the Huntsmen didn't come to our aid," Brock said with his arms crossed._

 ** _"Right."_**

 _"So what was that thing? How was it able to cause such a ruckus?" I questioned the Artificial Intelligence Unit in hopes to shed some light on the situation. The program merely stood there in silence while searching through his files._

 ** _"There is no known information on that creature."_** _He said, which wasn't exactly reassuring, to say the least._

 _"What do you mean we don't have information on what that was?!" Brock questioned._

 _"Indeed." The voice of Doctor Merlot said as he started to walk towards the three of us. "I would like to know as well." He said with a serious expression on his face while his hands were behind his back._

 ** _"I am outfitted with every known information about the monsters of this world. However, I do not believe that this sudden transformation was the result of the continued evolution of the Creatures of Grimm."_** _It said._

 _"Then what pray tell could this be the result of?" Merlot questioned._

 ** _"Mutation."_** _He said._

 _"What?" I asked as I was still rather confused with the whole situation in question. There was still so much we didn't know about these creatures, though we've never heard of any instances of mutation before._

 ** _"I have reason to believe that the strange substance that the director had developed was the cause of the sudden mutation. Once it was exposed to it, the beast began to change rather rapidly."_** _He said._

 _"...Oh. I see, so the mutation was because of the most recent experiment." He said._

 _"We can't have these things around when we're doing the project. Not unless we want something like this to happen again." Brock said. "Sir, I request that these tubes be moved to a different location."  
_

 _However, his words fell on deaf ears as the Doctor seemed to be rather lost in thought. He was staring out towards the hole that the beast had created once it had self-destructed, not only that though his eyes wandered over towards the testing tubes as well._

 _"Sir!" The head of the project said in a raised tone, bringing the man back to reality._

 _"Hmm? Oh yes, of course. I will have a team transfer the tubes to a different location at once." He said as he proceeded to walk off into the distance._

 _ **...**_

"Rah!" The giant roared as he slammed his fist onto the stomach of the beast, causing it to crash onto the stone wall while some of the rubble fell on top of it. The sudden impact created a large dust cloud around the crash site, though the red eyes peering out through the dust told us that the fight was far from over.

"He's a persistent one. Unlike any beast I've ever fought." He commented while the monster in questions started to rush towards us at rather fast speeds. "Get back!" The man warned as he put up some sort of barrier in hopes to block the oncoming attack, though it had no trouble breaking through.

The beast crashed into the wall and the two of us were sent airborne for a few short seconds before landing on the ground with an audible thud. "You okay?!" I asked while attempting to stand.

"Just barely!" He responded as he got up from off the ground, using his sword to help himself up. Though before either of us could react, the abomination started to rush us down once again.

It was just about to strike, though the spirit pushed out his palm suddenly in order to stop the beast. It stumbled back a few feet, giving the giant an opportunity to hold the monster in place for as long as he could.

Using this opportunity that was presented before us, I summoned the spirit once again in order to ram its fist onto the figure of the beast. It stumbled back a few feet once again, though before it could attempt to rush us down again, the giant slammed his foot onto the ground in order to knock the monster off its footing.

We were trying to prevent the beast from actually charging towards us, as neither of us had any real tools to counter the abomination's speed and power. So instead we were just trying to prevent it from using it in the first place.

The more we continued to rush it down, the angrier it started to get until eventually, it let out an ear piercing screech before slamming its hands onto the ground. Rocks started to fall from the ceiling, forcing the two of us to focus our efforts on not being crushed.

However, this gave the abomination an opportunity to strike. It rushed over towards the giant and slammed him back onto the ground, and just as he was about to get up, the beast was right above the man in question.

It started to rapidly slam its fist onto the man in question, causing him to use his semblance in order to block each attack. Once I landed on the ground, I ran over towards the monster and latched onto it's back.

The beast attempted to reach behind it in order to grasp onto me, though due to its large mass, doing so was proving to be quite the challenging feat. I started to ram the fist of the spirit onto it's back and sides in hopes to take it down, though once I saw that the monster was attempted to crush me under its weight by falling over, I jumped off rather quickly.

Once it fell onto the ground, the giant grabbed its legs and threw it over towards one of the stone walls once again. It started to rush us down once again, though just as it was about to reach us, the spirit appeared in order to ram one of its knees onto the head of the monster.

With a new opportunity in sight, Yatsuhashi ran over towards the monster before grabbing one of its arms. Now with a large reserve of energy, the giant proceeded to toss the monster over in my direction.

"Incoming!" He shouted.

"Got it!" I shouted while preparing for the oncoming monster. Once it was within range, I used the strength of the spirit of Shade in order to ram it's fist into the stomach of the beast, causing it to go flying towards one of the stone walls.

"The Beast looks like it's slowing down! Perhaps it's close to falling!" He said while gripping his blade.

Before I could voice my response however, the sight of the monster in question charging towards the giant silenced the both of us. The giant used the remaining energy he had left in order to uppercut the monster.

This gave me an opportunity to dive kick the abomination while the giant rammed his fist into its chest. It stumbled back a few feet, struggling to stand on its two feet while some sort of purple liquid started to ooze out of the wounds it had received.

However, we didn't have the time to wonder about the strange looking substance. The giant grasped his sword and charged forwards, his footsteps echoing throughout the caves.

Once the monster regained its footing, it attempted to rush the two of us down once again. Though it was too late, as the man had already rammed his giant blade through the chest of the abomination.

It slowly started to reach out to crush the man with its barehand, though once he pulled the sword out, it started to stumble back towards the wall of the cave. We were about to celebrate our victory, though the sight of the beast starting to expand and glow caused us to raise our guard once again.

"Get back! Now!" I shouted at the giant. The man in question nodded and proceeded to back away from the monster, as we were both unsure as to what was happening. The monster roared to the sky before bursting into a cloud of fire, the explosion echoing throughout the caves while making a visible hole in the wall behind it.

However, once the smoke from the blast had cleared, a much larger monster could be seen from the distance. It had two very large arms and its body was twice as big as the monster we had just fought.

The sound of the sudden explosion seemed to have grabbed its attention, and its red eyes were staring over towards the two of us. We stood there in silence for a few moments while contemplating on what to do next, though once we heard the sound of the beasts roar, the two of us proceeded to run in the opposite direction while the beast gave chase.

"How many of these things are there?!" I asked the man as we continued to make our way through the caves.

"I don't know! Perhaps we can worry about the number of monsters at a later time! For the time being, let us focus on escaping this one!" The giant said while the two of us jumped across a small ravine in hopes to escape the monster.

 ** _..._**

 _It's been two years since I was given the position I have today in Merlot Industries, so far the project has been a success for the most part. We were able to come up with effective counter plans for the sudden intelligence spikes, however, there has yet to be an explanation as to how this happened in the first place._

 _Though for now, I had other matters to attend to. At the moment I was tasked to make some adjustments and modifications to the system that we had been using for a few months now._

 _It was supposedly going to further our progress when it comes to discovering the truth behind the matter. **"Maralyn, you shouldn't consume as much caffeine as you are now. It could be detrimental to your health."** Granite said._

 _"I can drink what I want," I responded while taking another swig of the coffee I had made._

 ** _"I am just making a suggestion. It would not do you any good if you missed out on your work. Which seems ironic due to how you are consuming coffee to do more work."_** _He said._

 _"So it has less to do with care for my well-being and more for the integrity of the project," I said._

 ** _"That's not entirely true. While I do care for the integrity of the project, it has more to the fact that I was programmed to prioritize these factors. However, at the moment it is coming from a friend. One who cares for your health."_** _He said._

 _"...Fine. I guess one quick little nap wouldn't hurt anyone."_

 ** _"I suggest a nap of three hours, thirty-four minutes and forty-seven seconds. You be able to get the required rest you need, but you will also be able to complete today's minimum work capacity."_**

 _"Right," I said as I leaned back in my chair._

 _However, just as I was about to drift off to sleep, I could hear the door to my office open. "Ugh, can it wait, Brock? I'm trying to get some shut eye right now." I said while turning my chair over towards the front door._

 _Though my heart temporarily stopped for a few seconds once I saw the Director himself, Victor Merlot, standing at the front door. "D-Director! Terribly sorry! I'll get back to work at once!" I said._

 _"No need to worry. You have been working hard for the past couple of weeks. It's only natural that a break is in order." He said with a chuckle in his voice._

 _"Oh. Whew. Thanks." I said while slumping back into my chair._

 _"Well, not at the moment. Right now I need something from you, something that requires your set of skills." Merlot said with a rather curious expression on his face. Needless to say, I was intrigued as to what the man could possibly need from me._

 _"Not sure I follow," I said._

 _"Come, all will be explained in due time." The man said as he proceeded to walk out of the room. The Program and I looked at one another in a rather confused manner before we eventually decided to follow the director._

 _The trip was rather quiet for the most part, every question was met with a rather vague or dismissive response. From the looks of it, whatever Doctor Merlot had in store was meant to be kept quiet from the rest of the staff._

 _Not sure if I should be honored or skeptical of that, only one way to find out. Though once we actually arrived in the man's office, I could see the head of the project, Brock, standing in his office as well._

 _"Maralyn? What are you doing here?" He questioned._

 _"I could ask you the same thing," I responded. "So are you going to tell us what this is all about?"_

 _"...We're at a new age. There is a war going on, one that we will eventually lose if we do not adapt to the creatures as well." Merlot said. "However, I believe I have found the clue to our success."_

 _"...Not really sure what you mean by that." Brock said._

 _"Come with me, I have something incredible to show to the two of you." The man said as he walked over towards one of his bookshelves. He started to pull various books out from the shelves until there was an audible click coming from behind the wall._

 _We were both rather surprised to see that there was some sort of secret passageway behind the shelf. "This way. All will be revealed in time." The Director said while the metal doors opened._

 _Brock and I stared at one another for a few moments, as we were both unsure as to where the Doctor was going with this. However, we decided to trust the words of the man and proceeded to step inside the elevator._

 _"Sir, where are we going?" I questioned._

 _"To the ground floors." The man said, causing the A.I to appear in front of him._

 ** _"Director. I have a rather detailed version of the layout of the building. There is not a single mention of the ground floors anywhere within these plans."_** _Granite said, though this only made Victor chuckle in response._

 _"It wouldn't do anyone any good if I gave away the location to the secret laboratory." He said as he typed in some sort of code on the console of the elevator. Once the doors closed, we could feel the metal box begin its descent._

 _The rest of the trip was relatively silent, though that all changed once we felt the elevator stop. "Ah, here we are." He said as the doors leading towards the secret laboratory opened._

 _Tubes could be seen scattered all throughout the room, filled with the same substance that created that mutated monster from two years ago. However, other types of strange looking monsters could be seen within the tubes._

 _"What is this?" I asked._

 _"It's been two years since the mutation was discovered. Ever since then I had hoped to recreate that beast, though one that would aid humanity rather than against it." The director explained._

 _"...What?!" We both asked._

 _"Do you not understand? With this mutation, these creatures can be experimented on. Not only that though perhaps we can change the way they act." He said._

 _"Perhaps?! Director, you mean to tell us that you've been experimenting on these creatures for the past two years only based off a simple theory?!" I asked as I was completely baffled at the actions of the man._

 _"Of course not. If even the slightest possibility of this going wrong even crossed my mind, I would have stopped this little project of mine." The Director said. "However, once I was certain that these beasts could be tamed, I pressed on." He said as he turned around to face the two of us._

 _"See for yourselves."_

 _A sudden chill went down our spines once we heard those words leave the mouth of the man. We slowly turned around to see some sort of mutated canine standing there, it's eye's peering into the very depths of our souls._

 _Rather than pouncing though, it merely walked past the two of us without a second glance. "See? Mutate some of the wildlife alongside the monsters we collect, then you have a powerful specimen indeed, though most importantly, an obedient one." He said._

 _"So...it can be tamed?" Brock questioned._

 _"As you can see." The man said while reffering towards the canine that had just recently past us._

 _"...What exactly are you hoping to accomplish here?" I questioned. "I understand that creating mutations hold a wide variety of possibilities, though I don't understand what this is supposed to accomplish."_

 _"Glad you asked. I am working on pushing humanity to the next stage of its battle with the monsters of this world. With this newfound mutation, I hope to create a being that will push the tides of this battle into our favor." He said._

 _"We don't follow," Brock said._

 _"For the longest time, mankind has been in a constant stalemate with the Creatures of Grimm. We've created walls, built communities, developed weapons and yet it's still not enough." Merlot said. "Even now, these beast's continue to evolve in ways we could not possibly imagine."_

 _"..." Neither of us could really deny that._

 _"Though once I saw the mutation that occurred all those years ago, I saw an opportunity." He said. "If we cannot defeat the monster with the weapons we have at our disposal, then perhaps all we need to do is create monsters of our own."_

 _"..."_

 _"This is why I have asked the two of you to come to my lab. I want both of you to aid in these experiments, to help create the monsters we need to fight this war." Merlot said._

 _"I specialize in engineering. I'm no scientist." Brock said with his arms crossed. "Not only that though Maralyn here creates Artifical Intelligence Units. You're really the only one in this company who knows anything about genetic mutation."_

 _"You will all be able to play your roles. I need machinery to help with the mutation process, one that isn't so destructive. I'm sure you've felt the tremors in the office for the past couple of years." Merlot said._

 _"Hold on, you were behind that?!" I asked._

 _"A slight setback. Failure in genetic modification tends to be rather explosive. I wish to prevent such setbacks from happening again." He said to the man before turning his head over towards me._

 _"I need you, as you are rather experienced when it comes to Combat A.I. We would need one that could allow us to analyze the compatibility of the two specimens before we mutated them."_

 _"Hold on, two specimens? It might have been two years ago, though I clearly remember there only being one mutated monster." I said._

 _"Indeed, though a few modifications had to be made in order for the mutated beast to be tamed. We need to merge the Creatures of Grimm with more sentient wildlife, otherwise, we would just be creating a more powerful Grimm, which is the opposite of what we want."_

 _"So what, you've been going out into the wild to collect these specimens?" Brock asked._

 _"Of course not. I merely have some of the robots I've developed do it. With the aid of the underground tunnels in Mountain Glenn, I am able to safely transport each animal to the laboratory."_

 _"..." Honestly, we were both rather taken aback by the sudden reveal. The Director of the company we worked for had been creating these things in secret, so naturally, we were a little skeptical._

 _"I understand that this is a rather sudden offer. You do not have to accept the offer, no harm no foul. Though I'm close, I can feel it. I'm close to creating the perfect specimen. All I need is a little assistance." He said._

 _"...Have you been using humans in your experiments?" Brock questioned._

 _"Of course I haven't. Just some of the local wildlife, no one shall be harmed." Merlot said._

 _"Hmm, if nobody's getting hurt then I see no reason to be skeptical. I'll need the schematics of the machine you want me to build, not only that though I would need some assistance. I can't exactly build a machine designed for genetic mutation overnight after all."_

 _"Not a problem, I shall have the bots bring you the materials you need, as well as aid you in the development of the machine." The Director said. "What about you, Ms. Naturae?"_

 _"...I'll need some time to develop the A.I. Making Granite took me two months to complete." I said._

 _"Take as much time as you need. You two will have to continue your original line of work alongside this new project. It would look rather suspicious to the staff if you two were to suddenly disappear."_

 _"Right," Brock said._

 _Doctor Merlot walked over towards the two of us before putting his hands on our shoulders. "This will be the beginning of a new age. Together, we will push humanity towards the next phase of this war." He said._

 _"Now...get up." The Doctor said._

 _"Huh?" I asked._

 _"Get up."_

 _"Sir, we're not-." I began, however, I was quickly cut off once the man shouted._

 _"Get up!" Suddenly, a sharp pain could be felt from within my side. All of a sudden, everything came rushing back, what happened during the last three years of being under the employment of Merlot, as well as the ten years to follow._

"Gah!" I gasped as my eyes shot open. I looked around to see a rather familiar sight, that being the sight of the rubble of the former building of Merlot Industries. Rocks fell to the ground and fire could be seen raging all throughout the area.

"You're awake! Thank goodness." The voice of one of her students said.

"Huh?" I questioned as I stared at the two boys that were also caught in the blast. "I don't understand, what's going on here?" I asked while clenching the side of my torso with my right hand.

"Long story short, Doctor Merlot blew up the facility and now some of his experiments are free from their cages. We took one of them down, though it wasn't exactly an easy fight, to begin with." The boy I had hired said with a serious expression.

"Hold on, the prototypes are free?!" I asked while going into a state of panic.

"That's what I said." He stated.

"Which ones got out! I need to know which prototypes survived the explosion!" I yelled.

"Keep it down, will you?! Look, we don't know which ones survived! We've only ever encountered the two!" Brandon said while placing one of his fingers on his lips in hopes to keep me quiet.

"Hold on, you mean you haven't killed the other one?" I whispered.

"We were barely able to kill the first one! This abomination is twice as big as the first one!" The boy whispered. "Right now we've been trying to find a way out of this godforsaken hole!"

"Then where the hell is that creature you've been running away from?!" I asked.

However, before the boy could answer the question, the sound of the stone wall beside us breaking open quickly silenced us. Sure enough, one of Merlot's Prototypes could be seen climbing down towards us with its eerie red eyes staring into our souls.

"Damn it! Run!" The boy shouted as he pulled me off the ground. However, we weren't exactly going to make it very far as the beast charged forwards and broke through the wall leading to the underground city.

We all landed on the ground with an audible thud, causing the monster to roar to the sky before slowly charging towards us. Though just as it was about to pounce on us, a set of fireballs hit it on the side, causing it to fall to the ground once again.

The three of us turned to our right to see Oobleck, Port, and Glynda all standing there with their respective weapons at hand. "Do you three need some assistance?!" Oobleck questioned, causing everyone, including myself to nod profusely.

"What in the name of the gods is this creature?!" The Combat Instructor questioned.

"Remember the monster that caused the Massacre of Mountain Glenn ten years ago?!" I asked, which in turn, caused the three professors to stare at me with rather surprised and horrified expressions. "This one was one of the prototypes that Doctor Merlot made! It's not as powerful as the one you fought through!" I said.

"I thought we had purged these creatures from this world! It seems we must do so again!" Port said as he activated his semblance.

"Perhaps you have a plan of action to strike down this creature?!" Oobleck questioned while spinning his weapons around in order to charge up his semblance. I sat there in silence for a few moments before an idea eventually sparked.

"Keep the thing distracted! You two! I need your help with something!" I said before I got up and started to run towards one of the buildings. The three instructors nodded and proceeded to rush towards the giant beast with their respective weapons at hand.

Port started to fire various fireballs from his blunderbuss while Oobleck and Glynda focused on restraining the beast as best they could. The prototype roared and slammed it's massive hand onto the ground, causing some of the rocks to fall on the old man in question.

However, thanks to the use of his semblance, he didn't take nearly as much damage as the average person would. "So where are we going?!" Brandon questioned as we ran on some of the railroad tracks.

Though his question was quickly answered once our eyes fell on a bomb that was at the end of the tracks. "Whew. It's still here." I said while making my way over towards the back of the bomb.

Miners from before the massacre used these to blow open holes from within the mountain in order to make railroad tracks. I opened up the main console and started to rearrange some of the wires.

On the flipside, the Historian let loose a storm of fire from the top of his canon, causing the beast to shriek in agony. Port roared and threw his axe over towards the monster while Glynda kept it restrained to the ground with the use of her telekinesis.

"So how exactly do you know how to arm a bomb in the first place?!" Brandon asked.

"I had a friend who was the head of engineering for the company! He was the one who created that failsafe that nearly killed the three of us. I learned a thing or two from him during my time with the company!" I said while making some adjustments to the arming system.

Back to the battle, the beast grabbed the weapon of Peter before slamming its head against his body, sending him flying through the open cavern. He was about to charge forwards, though the sight of the three of us pushing a bomb towards the monster.

"Guys! Get ready!" I shouted.

Once the two remaining instructors caught sight of the bomb, they were able to piece together the plan of action rather quickly. "Okay! Once this thing goes off we're gonna have to be out of this sector of the underground city!" I said.

"These monsters were genetically modified to self destruct upon a near death situation! So-!" I began, though I was cut off once the monster picked up the bomb with one of its claws.

"Come on!" Port shouted.

"You get the idea! Just run!" I said while the three of us started to run towards one of the large holes in the ground. The timer on the bomb had reached its final countdown, though fortunately for all of us, we had managed to gather into the large hole in order to take cover.

Glynda summoned every ounce of strength she had within her in order to create a barrier that would shield us from the blast. Once the timer had reached it's designated stopping point, it proceeded to explode, causing the self-destruct mechanism within the beast to activate as well.

It took nearly everything that the combat instructor had to keep the barrier from breaking, though after a few moments of relative silence, the woman lowered the shield while exhaling heavily.

We all slowly started to leave the hole that we had taken cover in, and sure enough, there wasn't a single trace of the monster left. All that could be seen to indicate that it had been killed was the purple substance used to create the prototype, to begin with.

"...It's dead." Brandon said with a sigh of relief.

"That seems to be the case," Yatsuhashi said while placing his massive blade back into its sheath. However, before we could begin to find a way out of the mountain, we could feel the cold stairs of the three instructors on us.

Especially Glynda, who looked absolutely furiously. "..." We merely stood there in silence as none of us were really sure what to say in response.

"We have a lot to talk about." The combat instructor said.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus, another chapter of our story comes to an end. Upon arriving at the former facility of Merlot Industries, the woman known as Mary had begun to relive some rather unpleasant memories.**_

 _ **Memories of the days where she used to work under the employment of Victor Merlot, as well as with the team that was run by a man known as Brock.**_

 _ **On the other hand, the rest of our heroes have begun to encounter the prototypes of the perfect specimen that Victor Merlot had dedicated the rest of his life to creating, and they were perhaps some of the most powerful enemies that they had ever encountered.**_

 _ **Fortunately, with the aid of some of the Huntsmen and Huntresses, our heroes were able to take down two of the prototypes. Though that begs the question, if two of his experiments survived the blast, then perhaps some of the others did as well.**_

 _ **The Archeologist secretly hopes that the memories of days of old will not resurface once they leave the mountain altogether, with no intention of returning mind you.**_

 _ **However, our heroine will soon come to realize that not all things can be forgotten. Some memories you will have to confront head on, no matter how harsh they may be.**_

 _ **Though that is a story for another day.**_

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: The Massacre.**_


	15. The Massacre

_**The Story so far... After the blast that had completely destroyed the facility of Merlot Industries, our heroes were scattered amongst the wreckage of the former building of the company.**_

 _ **Fortunately for the group, all members had managed to survive, though in turn the prototypes hidden within the grounds of the laboratory had been released into the world.**_

 _ **Some of our heroes had taken it upon themselves to take down this new threat that now loomed above their heads. On the other hand, the Huntress of the group had been fighting her own battles, ones that were more than just tests of strength.**_

 _ **Memories that she had desperately attempted to repress began to resurface. Though the most dreaded of memories have yet to come for the woman in question.**_

 _ **For now, however, our heroes were forced to take down one of the prototypes of the man in question, one that was proving to be quite troublesome for the group in question.**_

 _ **The tide of the battle was moving against them, however, as fate would have it, three of the Academies best warriors made an appearance to aid the group.**_

 _ **Despite that, this skirmish was a rather hard-fought one, though in the end the prototype was taken down due the combined efforts of each member involved in the fight.**_

 _ **However, while the group had emerged from the end of this trial victorious, the true battle, one that will truly put everything our heroes had learned to the test, has yet to reveal itself.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **The Massacre**_

"You are absolutely unbelievable!" Glynda shouted while slamming her hands onto the desk of Professor Ozpin.

Once the group had returned to civilization, the Huntress was immediately called up to the Headmaster's Office for questioning. The Boy and The Giant were currently waiting in the lobby that led to the Office of the Headmaster in question.

The explosion that had echoed throughout the air of the ruins of the failed expansion of Vale had caused quite the stir for the people within the Kingdom of Vale. Word got around rather quickly, and sure enough, the entirety of the city knew about what had happened from within the mountain.

Many people were speculating as to what had happened from beyond the walls of the Kingdom, and the New Networks that were currently stationed from within the Kingdom had been covering the situation in question.

Not only that, though the students of the Academy had begun to talk amongst themselves about the current situation surrounding the explosion. Fortunately for the group, the involvement of the Instructors had managed to escape the view of the public eye.

Despite that though, everyone could still feel the very noticeable tension that was within the room in question. Even those who were outside of the office could feel a noticeable change in the atmosphere.

"This has gone far enough! We will no longer tolerate this little goose chase of yours now that you've endangered the lives of these children! What in the world were you thinking in the first place?!" The Combat Instructor questioned.

"It's not like I wanted one of our students to be there in the first place! I specifically told the kid to keep quiet about this whole ordeal in the first place!" The Archeologist countered. "I made sure that the kid was ready to take on the mountain, we spent months preparing for that day, do you honestly believe I would have taken him to the mountain with little to no training?!"

"That was six months ago! Do you genuinely believe that this is a reasonable amount of time for one to train?!" Glynda growled. "Besides, the amount of training her underwent is irrelevant! The boy has no access to his aura, meaning any blow he would have suffered during that skirmish would have been much more threatening when compared to us!"

"Need I remind you that this boy you're talking about happens to house one of the Great Knights?! One that has incredible power and presence mind you!" Mary countered while slamming her hands on the Headmasters desk.

"Presence?" Port questioned, as he and Oobleck had a general idea of what the woman was talking about.

"During the attack on the Schnee Family Theater on the day of the Fundraiser, everyone within the surrounding area could feel the presence of the Spirit. The entire atmosphere was uneasy, the White Fang retreated not long after." She explained.

"That's peculiar. When Port and I came into contact with this being, it could only be felt from within the small cavern. Though judging from your explanation, it's clear that it's reach and power are far greater then we had originally suspected." Oobleck said with his arms crossed.

"However, this still does not change the fact that the boy was still in more danger when the three of you entered the mountain. He did have raw power on his side, that much is true, though without the proper defense any blow he could have taken in that fight could prove to be fatal." Glynda said.

"...She does have a point." Port said while grooming his mustache. "Power alone cannot win a fight, even one as great as the spirits."

"That's why I was training the kid. He knew his way around a fight long before any of us had even learned of his existence." The Huntress said. "He just needed a push in the right direction, the rest would have happened naturally."

"Perhaps, still, it was a foolish act to have thrown him into the mountain, to begin with. Especially when you take into consideration that you were going up against Victor Merlot himself." The Combat Instructor said.

"Now that's hardly fair for our dear Archeologist. There was no way for her to anticipate the presence of the Doctor in question." Port said.

"Still, she was going to the facility. There was the possibility that some of these prototypes had been released from their chambers. As long as even the slightest possibility exists, no matter how improbable, should always be taken into account."

"Look, I made a mistake, one that nearly cost us our lives. I understand that." Mary said. "I accept full responsibility for what happened, though I will not apologize for the actions that were taken today." She said.

"I understand your determination to locate this man, he deserves to be brought to justice more than anyone we have ever fought." The Combat Instructor said, though before the Archeologist could speak up, the woman quickly spoke up. "However, I will not tolerate the lives of innocent people being put on the line any longer! This ends now!"

The argument raged on for quite some time until it was suddenly brought to a halt once the Headmaster slammed his coffee mug onto his desk. "Enough! Both of you sit down!" He yelled, which in turn surprised everyone in the room.

"..." The Instructors were completely flabbergasted at the actions of the Professor. He had never raised his voice, no matter how dire the situation came to be, though before either of the two women could speak up, he slammed his mug on the desk once again.

"Now!" Without so much as a second thought, the two of them sat down on the two chairs that were on the front desk. Headmaster Ozpin sighed to himself while rubbing the temples of his eyes with his hands. "You both make very valid points." He said before turning his attention over towards the dirty blonde woman.

"You need to understand something. We are Huntsmen and Huntresses, and as such it is our duty to protect the people of this world. As such, the safety of the people of the world must be your first priority." Ozpin said. "Our own battles must be fought only when the security of our kind can be ensured for the time being." He said with a rather serious expression.

"...Right." The woman said with a rather saddened expression.

"Because of your rash actions, the prototypes that had been dormant from within the mountain had been released into our world. As such, the lives of the people are now in danger." Every word that came out of the Headmaster's mouth felt like someone was stabbing her with a dagger.

"However, I must say that the information that you have acquired has proven to be quite useful." He said, which in turn caused the head of the Huntress to perk up ever so suddenly. "Up until this point, the status of Victor Merlot was uncertain, the possibility that he had perished within the mountain was all but uncertain.

"Though with this new information, I'm fairly certain that all doubt surrounding the death of Victor Merlot has been cleared. It is as you suspected, the man did indeed survive the Massacre all those years ago. To make matters worse, he desires to recreate a stronger version of the beast that caused the Massacre in question." Ozpin said.

"I think it's safe to assume that this man poses a threat to all of mankind." He said, causing everyone in the room to nod their head. "As such, I am issuing out an official order to everyone in this room. As of this moment, Doctor Merlot is now considered a threat to the peace we have fought to preserve. We must ensure that humanity does not suffer because of this mans actions."

"Hold on! We can't let the Council know about what's going on! The long term risks would be too great!" The Archeologist said.

"Which is why nobody outside of this room will know about the plan," Ozpin said with a serious expression. "The four of you will handle the situation at hand, as the involvement of the entirety of the staff would surely draw the attention of the Council."

"For now, our first priority should be to locate and exterminate these prototypes. The continued existence of these creatures poses a threat to mankind, and as such must be dealt with accordingly." The Headmaster said.

"If I might question the plan for a brief moment," Oobleck said while the Professor raised one of his eyebrows. "Might I ask why we are keeping the public in the dark about the current predicament? After all, rumors are running amuck from within the Kingdom, wouldn't it best to come forward with this sudden threat? Not only that though the more help we enlist, the greater our chances will become."

"While that is an excellent deduction, I'm afraid it would come with some rather troubling issues," Ozpin said.

"The experimental substance that Merlot had developed." The woman said, and while the three remaining instructors were rather confused as to why the substance was brought up, Ozpin knew all to well as to why the woman had presented his new piece of information.

"If the Council were to get involved, they would almost certainly confiscate all the technology, including the experimental substance used to create these prototypes." The Headmaster said.

"Then what happened all those years ago could very well happen again. That substance needs to be destroyed." She said.

"...I suppose you have a point. As much as it would be interesting to explore the possibility of this substance potentially aiding humanity, the risk it would pose would be too great." Oobleck said.

"We shall do our best to locate the source of the transmission you saw from within the building, though knowing Victor Merlot, he probably took ever precaution imaginable in order to ensure nobody located him," Ozpin said. "Needless to say, tracking down this man will prove to be quite the challenge."

"Indeed, though not impossible," Oobleck said while pushing up his spectacles with his right hand.

"We all know our roles, though before I dismiss all of you, there is something about the statement of our dear Archeologist here that I would like to address." The Headmaster said to the group.

"I don't follow." The woman in question said with a rather curious expression.

"Earlier you said that the young man you had hired six months ago housed one of the Eleven Great Knights. However, after months of scouring through the various research notes that I have acquired over a very long career, I have been able to deduce that what the boy holds is not one of the Great Knights."

"...Huh?" Everyone questioned.

"I went through every piece of information that I had, even going through some of the libraries of the other Kingdoms. Though no matter how hard I looked, I could not find mention of a single spirit that went by the name of Shade."

"...Then what in the world is in the boy's head?" Oobleck questioned, though the only thing that came out of the professor's mouth was three words they never thought they would ever hear from him.

"I don't know." He said.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" The former employee of Merlot Industries questioned.

"Believe me, I am just as concerned as you are. We are indeed dealing with a Spirit, just not one of the Great Knights, though despite that it's power cannot be denied. After all, just the mere feeling of its presence was enough to send chills down our most seasoned of warriors." Ozpin said.

"That feeling, you've felt it as well, on the day of the Fundraiser when the White Fang attempted to assassinate the Schnee Family. It's a rather empty feeling if I do say so myself." The Headmaster said, causing the three instructors who had actually felt the presence of the spirit to stare at the Headmaster with rather confused expressions.

"What do you mean? The only time you two have ever interacted would be when you first met him six months ago. At least to my knowledge, that's the only time you two have ever met." Mary said.

"Indeed. Up until that point, the young man and I have never encountered one another. Though that one interaction was all I needed to understand the situation at hand." He said.

"I feel as if we are getting more questions then answers here," Port said while scratching his head.

"Tell me, have any of you actually come into direct contact with the relic that was given to the boy?" Ozpin said while scratching his chin. The three of them had started to think back on the interactions they had with the boy, all the way back to when they had first met him back in the forests of Vale.

"Hmm, no I don't believe we have. Might I ask the reason to this sudden line of questioning?" Oobleck asked.

"Indeed you may, and the answer to your question is rather simple. I had a brief encounter with the relic in question on the day the young man and I first met in this very office. I do believe you were there, Ms. Naturae." The Headmaster said.

"Oh, right I guess I was. Though I wasn't exactly paying too much attention to the situation in question, as my mind was elsewhere at the time." She said. "...Though now that you mention it, I do briefly remember you touching the object in question."

"In all the encounters you've had with the boy, you never thought to examine the object?" He asked.

"Well, it _is_ the kid's property in a sense. I wasn't exactly going to go taking it without his permission, not to mention that every time that thing seems to make contact with anyone other then it's owner, the spirit just lashes out on the person." She said.

"Interesting. I presume that this is only in a combat scenario?" The Headmaster asked.

"Obviously. Because if I remember this correctly, you were the one who told him to keep the relic out of sight." Mary said with her arms crossed.

"Ah, good to see that the young man has taken my warnings to heart. Though back onto the topic at hand. You do remember the series of events correctly, as I did indeed come into contact with the relic." He said.

"I remember that day. You didn't seem to be harmed in any way." Glynda said.

"Physically, no I was not harmed. Though what I saw when I touched the relic made quite the impression on me." He said, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.

"What you saw? Not sure if any of us follow, sir." Oobleck said while attempting to figure out what the Headmaster had seen. However, the more Mary thought about it, the more clear her memories of that day became.

"Oh! Right! When you touched the Relic you suddenly stepped back! You looked real spooked for some reason." She said.

"What?! Sir, what in the world did you see that could have warranted that reaction?!" Glynda questioned rather sharply.

"At ease, Glynda. It only startled me for a brief second, as I wasn't expecting those sudden visions that I got when I made contact with the relic." He said, though before any of them could question him about the visions, the Headmaster provided an answer. "The visions in question were rather faded, though they weren't pleasant, not in the slightest." He said.

"Why are you bringing all of this up now? After six months at that?" Maralyn asked.

"I had suspicions, though I just wasn't sure. I needed to do as much research as I possibly could. Though now I'm certain, there is no such spirit in our world that is called Shade." Ozpin said. "As for why I bring it up, I fear that involving this boy in the search for Victor will only bring on a new threat, one far greater then Merlot." He said.

"...You think the young man will turn on us?" Port questioned.

"Of course not. The boy has had his fair share of troubles, that much I am certain. Though nothing leaves me to believe that he will one day become our enemy. No, I am speaking of the Spirit that rests within his mind." Ozpin said. "I do not know where it originated from, or what its intentions for this world are, though it's presence is not a welcoming one."

"So what does it have to do with the current situation?" The Archeologist asked.

"From what I have gathered with the various encounters that everyone here has had with the boy, the spirit known as Shade seems to show itself when faced with true threats." He said.

"What about the prototypes from back there? The last I checked those were some pretty serious threats." She said.

"Perhaps it is because the three of you stepped in. If you had not, I have reason to believe that this spirit would have made an appearance." Ozpin said. "The more serious the threat, the more power it exerts in its weakened state."

"There's no doubt that Victor has been working on other projects during the past ten years. Though if we were to come into contact with the finished product, then I'm all but certain that the spirit will be forced to unleash everything." He said.

"So you're afraid that the Spirit will run rampant?" Glynda asked.

"I'm not sure. It's as I said, this is only a suspicion of mine. However, I would rather tread carefully then be reckless." Ozpin said.

"What do you propose we do then?" Port asked.

"Our job is to track down the monsters that are scattered throughout the continent, as well as their creator. As for you..." He began while staring directly at Maralyn. "You will be able to continue your line of work, though under no circumstances are you to allow the young man to fight Victor Merlot's finished project."

"You sure that's a good idea? I mean, despite the risks it still is a powerful ally." The Archeologist said.

"That may be true, though we still do not know of the intentions of this spirit. It's best we don't take any unnecessary risks until we know more about what we are dealing with." Ozpin said.

"...Alright. You got it, once we do find the location of the man in question, I'll give the kid his payment." She said.

"Good. That will be all, you are dismissed." He said, causing everyone to nod their heads before heading towards the exit of the office. Though before the former employee of Merlot Industries could leave, the Headmaster stopped her just as she was about to close the door.

"Also, Maralyn." He said, grabbing her attention. "I do hope that you will find closure with what happened on that day." The woman stood there in silence for a few moments before leaving the room, causing some of the memories from ten years ago to start resurfacing once again.

 ** _..._**

 _Two years have passed since the Director of the project recruited the two of us into this secret project. A lot of protocols had to be made in order to ensure the safety of not only the staff from within the building, though as well as the people from within the City of Mountain Glenn._

 _Construction of the expansion was nearly complete, the only thing that remained was to finish up the underground sector of the city. Though that part was proving to be rather complicated, considering that there was a greater risk when it came to construction._

 _Small tremors could be felt within the ground, courtesy of the various explosives that had to be used in order to open up passageways. Speaking of explosives, Brock had finished the failsafe that the Director had requested to be made once the development for the prototypes began._

 _By the off chance that some of the prototypes get loose from within the facility, the failsafe will be activated, which will cause the entire facility to self destruct. Luckily, the countdown for the explosion is about five minutes, giving the staff a fairly good amount of time to escape._

 _Not only that though this also ensures that not enough time passes for the prototype to escape from the building. Various secret passageways and exits were built in order to ensure that the entirety of the staff escape._

 _Though fortunately, we haven't had to use any of these said passageways. Things have been moving fairly smoothly when it came to the development of this creature that Merlot wanted to develop._

 _A lot of creatures were developed over the past two years, though none of them had even come close to what the director wanted to create. As a result, the lower levels of the building were starting to get a little crowded._

 _Needless to say, the two of us had quite a lot of work ahead of us. At the moment, I was just sitting in my office while going through some of the papers that were scattered all around the desk._

 _"Ugh." I groaned while rubbing the temples of my eyes._

 ** _"Are you alright, Mary?"_** _Granite questioned while suddenly appearing right next to my desk chair. **"From what I have gathered, your sleep schedule has failed to meet the minimal requirements of the average human being."** _

_"You think? I haven't exactly gotten any breaks with trying to help manage two projects at the same time." I responded while I turned my head to face the Artificial Intelligence unit._

 ** _"Perhaps you should request a leave of absence."_** _The A.I suggested._

 _"No, we can't afford to take any breaks. At least not yet, the more work that doesn't get done, the more lives that'll be lost." I said while taking a sip from the cup of coffee on the desk._

 ** _"Failure to meet a consistent sleep schedule will only hamper our progress. What's more, sleep deprivation can often result in rather fatal consequences, thus further hampering the progress of the project."_** _He said. **"Not only that, concentration can sometimes waver without the proper sleeping schedule, this would increase the likely hood of flaws within the system."**_

 _"..." I merely sat there in silence while I listened to the point of the program._

 ** _"In conclusion, continuing this line of behavior would prove to bring more negative results than positive."_** _He said._

 _"Okay, you made your point. I'll go request a leave of absence right now." I said while getting up from where I was sitting. The program disappeared once I walked out of the room, which in turn, causing the console attached to my belt to glow._

 _I could see various employees walking across the hallway, each one doing whatever they could to aid the company we worked at. The office of the Director could be seen in sight, though as I got closer to the front doors I could hear someone yelling on the other side._

 _With my curiosity peaked, I pressed my right ear up against the wooden door in order to get a better idea on who exactly was yelling. The first voice was that of Doctor Merlot himself, though the second voice that I heard caught me off guard._

 _"You've gone too far with these experiments! You told us that it wouldn't go down that road!" The voice of Brock said through the door._

 _"Need I remind you that sacrifices need to be made in order to further our progress!" Doctor Merlot countered. "We are close to finishing the prototype! All we need is more time to create it!"_

 _"No! Not if this is the cost!" He roared. "I'm done working for the likes of you! Consider our contract cut off you god forsaken mad man!" Brock shouted as he kicked open the door next to where I was, causing me to jump a little bit._

 _"..." The man stood there for a few moments as the two of us shared a rather awkward moment with one another. He stared back at the main office of the Director before slamming the door behind him. "Follow me, there's something we need to talk about." He said while walking down the hallway rather quickly._

 _"What the hell was that all about?! Everyone on the floor could hear what you two were talking about!" I said before I started to walk beside the man._

 _"I can't talk about it, at least not in the open." He said as his eyes started to scan the area around the two of us. "So what exactly did you hear in the first place?" The head or the former head of the project I should say asked._

 _"Not a whole lot, I only heard the end of the conversation, the part where you said you were leaving the company," I said._

 _"Looks like I've got a lot to tell you. Though let's go to my office before we do, it won't do either of us good if anyone started to eavesdrop on our conversation." He said while looking directly at me with a rather deadpanned expression._

 _"...Sorry." I said as I started to scratch the back of my head._

 _"It's alright. Right now we have other matters to attend to." The man said before he proceeded to grab the keys to his office from within his pocket. Once he was certain that nobody had followed us, he opened the door in front of him._

 _"So what was that all about?" I asked while Brock locked the door._

 _"How long have we worked together?" He asked with a serious expression and his arms crossed._

 _"About four years now, though I'm not entirely sure what this has to do with what happened back there," I responded, causing the man to sigh to himself while cracking his neck rather nervously._

 _"Look, it's been two years now since we learned about the mutations that were happening below the building. Things seemed to be fairly tame for the most part, we would only use the local wildlife for the experiments." He said._

 _"Yeah, I'm aware. It's the whole reason we even agreed to help him with this project in the first place." I said with one of my eyebrows raised._

 _"Though recently the Director's been doing some of his own experiments. Prototypes would suddenly appear from time to time." Brock said. "I decided to do some investigating of my own, seeing just what exactly the man was so keen on hiding."_

 _"...Hold on, you don't mean-!" I began as I had suddenly begun to piece together just what exactly it was that the man was implying._

 _"Unfortunately. I looked through some files that were in the console near the center of the room, the man was using some of the death row inmates from the Vale High-Security facility in order to create some of these prototypes."_

 _"Death row inmates? How did he get his hands on them, to begin with? I thought he wanted to keep these prototypes out of the public's view." I asked._

 _"I'm sure you've heard about the reports of the missing inmates from the local news networks. Turns out he was using some of his machines in order to silently gather these inmates from the prison." Brock explained. "Here, I even downloaded the reports that were on the console."_

 _The former head of the project took out his scroll from out of his pocket before pulling up the data he acquired. I could feel chills go down my spine as I read the contents of these reports._

 _"I don't believe it," I said before I gave the scroll back to its respective owner._

 _"You can say that again. Though I have an idea, one that will end these crimes that the man has committed." He said while going through his scroll that he had in his hands with a determined expression on his face._

 _"Hold on, what are you doing?" I asked._

 _"I'm gonna give these files to the public. Once word gets out of what happened here, there won't be any place left for the Director to run." He said though that wasn't exactly the response I was hoping for._

 _"Hold on. Do you really think that this is a good idea?" I asked._

 _"Of course it is! I already confronted the man about what was going on down there, though he doesn't seem to be keen on stopping these experiments any time soon. I gave him a chance to walk away, though he made his choice." He said. "Think about it! Do you really want the man to get away with what's he's done?!"_

 _"That's not what I'm saying! Though you need to consider the long term consequences for your actions!" I said._

 _"What are you talking about?! You've seen what he's done down there? The man is trying to play god! He's messing with forces that he does not understand!" He shouted._

 _"Of course I know that! Though if_ _word got out about the truth behind these kidnappings, the entire company would be shut down. Not only that though the prototypes would be confiscated, though there would be further experimentation on these monsters." I said._

 _"These things are unpredictable, and there's no telling what would happen if these things were released into the public."_

 _"..." The man stood there in silence as he thought upon what I had said, though the man eventually spoke up once the atmosphere had calmed down. "Then what do you propose we do about this?"_

 _"I don't know. All I do know is that we can't involve the public in all of this." I said._

 _"...I suppose you have a point. Though we can't just sit here and do nothing, we have to stop this man before he creates something he can no longer control." Brock said with a serious expression._

 _"You don't think I know that?! We need to be careful about this though?! Otherwise we could be doing more harm than good!" I said._

 _"Hmm, I suppose you have a point." He said before he began to gather the personal belongings that he had from within his office._

 _"So that's it then. You're leaving?" I asked him with a rather saddened expression. The two of us may not have seen eye to eye on a lot of things, though he was still a rather close friend of mine._

 _"Can't really stay around here anymore." He said. "It's been fun working with you, though this is where we say goodbye, at least for the time being," Brock said as he proceeded to walk towards the front door to his office._

 _"Be careful from here on out. You can't trust that man." Giving his final goodbyes, the former head to the project left the office._

 _I merely stood there in silence for a few moments before walking over towards the desk on the end of the room. I pulled out the office chair sat down in it before letting out a rather heavy sigh._

 ** _"Well now, this is a rather unexpected development."_** _The Artifical Intelligence unit said as he suddenly appeared on the other side of the desk._

 _"That's one way of putting it," I said heavily while turning my head to face the Intelligence Unit. "Did I do the right thing? Should I have really stopped him from releasing that information out into the public?"_

 ** _"To that, I am unable to give you a clear answer, as I can only judge the morality of the situation based off of what my programming dictates. I was programmed to ensure the protection of humanity. Going through the possible outcomes, I can safely say that you did the right thing."_**

 _"Right," I said before turning my attention over towards the ceiling._

 ** _"I hope you're aware that the possibility of this information being disclosed is still possible."_** _He said._

 _"Oh, I'm aware of that. Though I have faith in him." I said with a tired tone. "So what are we supposed to do now?" I questioned._

 ** _"At the moment, I am going through various possibly plans of actions that we could take at the moment."_** _He said while various algorithms started to play out throughout his head._

 _"Got it," I responded while staring up at the ceiling._

 _Various thoughts were going through my mind right now, mainly of what I was even supposed to do given the current situation. Nobody other than Brock, Granite and I knew the truth about what was going on in the lower parts of this facility._

 _Perhaps that was for the best though._

 _I thought back on what the former head of the project said, his words ringing throughout my mind. There was truth to his statements, we had to stop the Director before things got too out of hand, though we can't make the public involved with these experiments._

 _A few moments of silence passed before I came to a decision as to what to do from here on out. "I know what we're gonna do," I said to the program before standing up from the office chair._

 ** _"What would that be?"_** _He questioned._

 _"I don't know how yet, though we can't just let the Director continue with these experiments. However, we can't let the public in on these experiments." I said._

 ** _"That sound like a very difficult task to accomplish. People would surely be suspicious if the CEO of Merlot Industries suddenly disappeared without explanation."_** _Granite said._

 _"We don't need to kill Merlot, we just need to ensure that he can't do any more of his experiments," I said. "It's not exactly going to be an easy task, though I trust that you will be at my side during this ordeal?" I turned towards the A.I with a determined expression on my face._

 ** _"Of course. You are my creator after all."_** _He said while appearing on my shoulder._

 _"Good, then come on. We have a lot of work ahead of us." I said while leaving the office behind._

 _ **...**_

The Giant and I were currently sitting in the lobby outside of Professor Ozpin's office. The armor of the giant had to be taken to the workshop, as it was damaged severely due to the blast that destroyed the former building of Merlot Industries.

Not only that, though most of the items that the man had brought with him on the trip to Mountain Glenn had been lost in the rubble. However, his sword was still in good shape all things considered.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I was rather curious as to why the boy in question was staring at his blade so intently.

"Hmm? Oh, I was merely contemplating on what adjustments and repairs I would have to make once we are dismissed." Yatsuhashi said before he leaned the blade up against the wall behind the couch.

I nodded before I unsheathed the sword of Shade in order to see if it had taken any damages during the incident. Much to the surprise of the both of us, there wasn't even a single scratch on the blade or damages to the handle.

At least none that were notably new, as the weapon in question always had a rather rough and damaged look to it. "Hmm, that is rather peculiar." The giant said while rubbing his chin. "Might I ask, were you the one who forged this blade, to begin with?"

"Oh, no. I know how to use weapons, not make them." I said while placing the sword onto the table in front of us.

"I see. Well, then where did you get this weapon in the first place then? After all, this doesn't look like any other blade I've seen in stores." He said while examining the weapon in front of him.

At first, I wasn't really sure as to how I was supposed to answer this, as it wouldn't be all that believable if I said that I got it from some spirit. So it seems I'll have to settle on the more believable explanation.

"I got it from an acquaintance of mine a few months ago," I said.

"Did this acquaintance of yours craft the weapon you now hold in your possession?" The giant questioned.

"As far as I'm aware? Yes, he was the one who created it. Doesn't exactly look like the best piece of craftsmanship." I commented while turning my head over towards the man on the other side of the sofa. "Did you make your weapon of choice?"

He started to scan the area to see if there had been anyone listening in on our conversation. Once he was certain that we weren't being watched, he moved in closer in order to quietly say his answer.

"Most of the higher ranking White Fang members have custom made weapons. The weapon I use is too large and heavy for most of the lower ranking members of the White Fang." He said. "Though due to sheer strength, I am able to lift this blade up with relative ease."

I made a mental note of this fact, as it would no doubt prove rather useful in the near future. "So I think it's safe to assume that the Elite Members of the White Fang have their own respective weapons as well?" I asked.

"You would be correct." He said with the nod of his head.

Though before we could with the conversation at hand, we could hear the sounds of footsteps coming from the outside of the lobby. The man tensed up a bit while his eyes sharpened, though once he saw his partner burst through the door, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Here he is!" Velvet shouted while rushing over towards the sofa that we were sitting at. "Where have you been?! When we heard that you had just come back with three of our instructors we got worried!" She said as the rest of the man's team ran into the room.

"You caused quite the stir around here. What were you doing out there in the first place? You just up and left without so much as a goodbye." Coco said with her hands on her hips.

"Terribly sorry, it was on rather short notice. Our friend here needed some assistance with something, so I took it upon myself to aid him." He explained, which in turn, caused the leader of the group to stare at me with a rather suspicious expression.

"Seems like some real trouble considering the two of you are here in the lobby of the Headmaster's office." She said while taking off her glasses in order to stare into my eyes directly. "What was your name again?"

"Brandon. We met about five months back I believe." I said with the same expression that I usually had.

"That's right. Back during the Battle for the Town of York. Seems you've got a knack for attracting trouble from the looks of it." She said before she crossed her arms while raising one of her eyebrows.

"..." The tension from within the room started to rise, though before things could get too out of hand, the rabbit girl stepped between the two of us in hopes to calm the situation.

"Come on Coco, let's give him the benefit of the doubt." Velvet said before she turned her head around. "So what exactly were you two doing? It must have been pretty dangerous if three of our instructors had to bring you two back."

"That's a bit a complicated story," I said with a rather conflicted expression.

"Not exactly reassuring. How about a simpler question? Where were you two? I mean, it must be someplace dangerous if the big guy right here took this much damage." Coco said.

"..." It was a simple question, that's for sure, though it wasn't exactly an easy one to answer. "I'm sure the three of you heard that explosion from a few hours ago," I said, though perhaps I should have been more careful with how I handled that, as Velvet grabbed onto the collar of my shirt in order to shake me violently.

"You were in Mountain Glenn?! What in the world made you think that was a good idea?! That place is a death trap!" She shouted.

The rest of her team seemed surprised, myself included as none of us really knew that Velvet's voice could even reach that volume. Coco placed her hand on the shoulder of her teammate in hopes to calm her down. "Easy there, we don't want him losing consciousness on us."

Once the girl actually managed to regain her composure, the tension in the room reverted back to its original state. "So back to the topic at hand. Just why exactly were the two of you in Mountain Glenn?" She asked.

However, before I could speak up, the giant decided to speak in order to put an end to this interrogation. "That is something we are not at liberty to say." He said.

"What are you talking about?" Fox asked. "There's no way you would have gone to a place like that without good reason." He said to his fellow teammate, though the man merely remained silent.

"It's none of your business. We had our reasons for going, and we're not at liberty to tell the three of you." I said.

"Like hell, you aren't! He's our teammate!" Coco said as she slammed her hand onto the table in front of the sofa we were sitting down at.

"Coco, we know though we do not want you three to get involved with what happened back there," Yatsuhashi said rather sternly.

"What do you mean? Involved with what? Does it have to do with that explosion that happened?" The blind monk asked, though before we could answer his question, the doors leading towards the office of the Headmaster flew open.

The four instructors started to walk out rather quickly, though the Archeologist turned her head over to face the five of us with a rather intense expression on her face. "Come on." She said as she proceeded to walk towards the exit of the lobby.

"So what's going on? Things sounded pretty intense in there." I said while I got up from off of the couch in order to follow the woman.

"Indeed, it sounded like quite the argument from within the Headmaster's office," Yatsuhashi said before he picked up his blade.

"There's been a slight change to the plans." She said while walking down the hallways of the tower. "I can't discuss it here, there are too many open ears. Though just know that after today we have decided you can no longer be involved in this." The woman said as she turned her head over towards the giant.

"Hold on a moment! I understand that the battles we fought were rather difficult, though as a Huntsmen I will not sit idle as this man threatens the peace!" He said.

"Will you keep it down?! Need I remind you that this situation needs to remain out of the public eye?!" The Archeologist whispered in a rather angered tone, though the team had managed to overhear what the giant had said.

"Hold on, what do you mean? As long as who threatens the peace?" Coco asked.

"It's of no concern to the three of you." She said to the rest of the team.

Unfortunately for the woman, the trio did not share this sentiment that the woman had. "I don't think so. We're Huntresses and Huntsmen, that means we deal with threats that threaten the peace." The leader of the group said.

"That's right. We've dealt with fairly large threats in the past." Fox said with his arms crossed.

"Nothing like this. It's best if you four stay out of this mess. Trust me, this is for your own good." She said with a stern tone in her voice, though the group didn't show any signs of backing down.

"Who are you to decide that? Our job as Huntsmen and Huntresses is to protect the people of this world. Don't you think doing nothing goes against the code we stand for?" Fox asked.

"Normally, yes that would be the case. Though not here, we are taking care of things. You don't need to fight, these aren't just your average monsters." The Huntress said to the group, though the rest of the members of team CFVY weren't exactly sure as to what the meant.

"...She's right. These monsters aren't like any other we've fought." He confirmed.

"Even stronger than that oversized lizard?" Coco asked.

"Well, perhaps not all of them were that strong. However, the one that required the aid of Professors Goodwitch, Oobleck and Port was indeed vastly stronger than the beast that was slain all those months ago." Yatsuhashi said.

"That right? What kind of monsters were these in the first place?" Fox asked.

"It doesn't matter, none of you are going to be fighting them in the first place." The Huntress said. "As for you, there's been a slight change to the details of your contract." She said, which in turn caused alarms to go off inside of my head.

"Changes?" I said as my expression started to sour.

"Don't give me that look. You'll still get paid the same amount that was offered to you from six months ago, though when you get paid for this job has changed." She said.

"Not sure I follow."

"Due to some unforeseen complications, the Headmaster and I have decided that you would be paid once we actually located what we're looking for." The woman said, however, I was still rather suspicious as to why the terms of the contract had suddenly changed.

"So you're looking for something? Must be really important if the Headmaster is concerned with it." Coco said.

"You should really learn to not stick your nose in other people's business," Maralyn growled.

"I will once people's business don't involve the lives of the innocent." The leader of the group countered. "We're Huntsmen and Huntresses, it's our job to fight these threats, so how about you let us do our jobs?"

"No, you're Huntsmen and Huntresses in training." She said, putting more emphases on the end of her statement. "At the moment, you're job is to learn how to protect the people of this world. Your hearts may be in the right place though you're still just children, and I can't let you fight a threat that we barely even understand."

Though before the argument could move any further, the young brunette said something that caused the three people in the hallway that knew the truth behind the matter to stop dead in their tracks. "This threat you're talking about. Does it have something to do with the Massacre that happened ten years ago?"

"..." No one really said anything, though there were various reasons for the said silence in the first place.

Fox and Coco were rather confused as to why the girl was bringing up the incident, to begin with, though her partner seemed to have a saddened expression on his face. As for the Huntress and I, we were completely perplexed as to how the girl was even able to make the connection in the first place.

"What are you talking about? How did you even come to that conclusion?" The Huntress asked.

"So I'm right, aren't I? This all has something to do with what happened at Mountain Glenn." She said while clenching her fist into a ball.

"...Yeah, that's right. We're looking into what really happened on that day." I said, however, the woman next to me didn't seem to be all too happy with how I responded to the girl's statement.

"What in the hell are you doing?! First this kid now her?!" She whispered.

"She's already made the connection! It would be pointless to hide it now!" I said.

"...Fine! Though we can't talk here. Not with all of the staff wandering about." She said to the five of us. "Come on, let's head back to the lobby. Professor Ozpin should be busy making preparations." We all nodded and proceeded to follow her back towards the lobby of Professor Ozpin's office.

Once we were certain that none of the Professors were within the area, the conversation began. "So let's get one thing out of the way. How exactly were you able to make that connection?" I asked the rabbit girl.

"Come now, let us not pester her about it. After all, the event was rather devastating for everyone in the Kingdom of Vale." The Giant said as he was clearly not keen on pressing the girl for information.

"No, it's okay, Yatsu. I want to know more about what happened." She said with a serious expression. "It was shortly after the incident. The Huntsmen and Huntresses evacuated as many citizens as they possibly could. Though there were some that were trapped underground."

"Yeah. Some stayed down there for nearly three months with limited food and water." I said.

"...I was one of those people who was stuck down there." She admitted.

An unsettling silence filled the room, everyone having rather mixed reactions. "Vel, you're one of the survivors?" Coco asked as she walked over towards her teammate with a shocked expression on her face.

"Yeah, I don't really like talking about it. It all happened when I was so young." Velvet said.

"It happened ten years ago, so it had to have happened when you were around seven," Maralyn said while pinching her chin with her right hand. Though I raised one of my eyebrows once I saw the hand of the woman shake ever so slightly.

"I was six actually, though I suppose what age I was doesn't really matter right now. I try not to think back on those times, though with everything that's been happening recently, things have been coming back." She said.

"Did you know about this, Yatsu?" Fox asked.

"...Yes, I was aware of her involvement before. That is why I went with the two of you." The giant admitted. "Knowing what I know now, I cannot sit idly by." He said, which in turn, caused the ears of the girl to perk up.

"What do you mean? That was ten years ago, and the man behind it all died in the incident." Velvet said with her arms crossed.

"...Gah! You don't mean to tell us-!" Fox began, realizing just what it was that we were implying.

"That's right. Victor Merlot, the one who caused the massacre all those years ago, is still alive to this day." I revealed.

Once again, the room was filled with an unsettling silence and the rabbit girl had a mixture of emotions on her face. "He's...alive? But how?! How could anyone have survived that massacre?!" She asked.

"You of all people should know, Velvet. You're living proof that it's possible for the man to have survived." I said.

"But I wasn't in the center of it all?! The monster broke out in the center of the city!" Velvet said.

"Hmm, then that makes things all the more probable, as Merlot wasn't in the center of the city. The underground laboratory wasn't anywhere near the city and the lab was specifically designed to handle a large amount of punishment." I said.

"...So he really is alive. The one behind the massacre in Mountain Glenn is still alive." She said quietly.

"You okay, Velvet?" Coco asked while placing her hand on the shoulder of her teammate.

"...I'm going to fight." Velvet said with a serious expression. We were all expecting the woman to speak up against the request of the young girl, though the only thing we were met with was silence.

She seemed to be lost in thought while her hand continued to shake. "Hey? What's with you?" I asked, however, she was too deep in thought that she wasn't even aware of the conversation going on around her. "Hey!" I shouted, causing her to jump suddenly.

"Huh? Oh, sorry what were you saying before?" She asked with a rather taken aback expression.

"Are you okay? You've been acting rather strangely ever since I told you all about how I was able to make the connection." Velvet said with her arms crossed.

"..." Sweat started to form on her forehead and an audible gulp could be heard from her. "I...No, I can't do this. Not if we're gonna be working together from here on out. You deserve to know the truth. The truth about what happened at Mountain Glenn." She said.

"What do you mean?" I asked with a perplexed look.

"How much do you know about what happened? Not including what the four of you just learned today." The woman said as she was reffering towards the Huntsmen and Huntress team before her.

"Just as much as anyone I suppose. We know that some sort of mutated monster completely destroyed the city, though nobody really knows how it got out in the first place." Coco said.

"I take it you know how the monster got out in the first place?" I asked.

"More then you'd think. I can tell you one thing for certain, Victor wasn't the one who released." She said.

"What are you saying? Do you think that one of the staff set the prototype free?" Velvet asked, though the woman merely shook her head in response to the girl's line of questioning.

"No, there were very few people from within the facility," Maralyn said. "A friend and I learned the truth about the experiments two months before the incident. We hatched a plan to stop the development of these prototypes for good. Though things didn't turn out quite the way we had expected them to."

"In the end, I was the one who released the prototype into the city. I'm the one to blame for why the massacre happened in the first place." She revealed, causing a cold deafening silence to echo throughout the lobby. No one was really sure how to respond, though I eventually tried to make sense of the situation with one simple question.

"What?" I quietly asked.

"Let's start from the beginning. The day the massacre happened. Perhaps that will shed some light on the situation." The woman said as she proceeded to explain what happened ten years ago.

 ** _..._**

 _Two months have passed since Brock had left the company, two months to prepare for the events to come. It was a rather difficult task, though the two of us had finally come up with a plan that will put an end to these experiments for good._

 _At the moment I was currently waiting outside of the main building of Merlot Industries with a serious expression. There were various members of patrol wandering about, as security was increased ever since the company started to deal with more delicate information and projects._

 _Though as much as this place has benefited this world when it came to fighting against the creatures that have plagued mankind for as long as we could remember, more harm would come if the experiments of the Director had gone unchecked._

 _We needed to stop this man before he created another threat that we had to deal with. I had recently taken some of the security codes that were required to gain access to certain parts of the building, not only that though I attempted to commandeer some of the Artificial Intelligence Units, though that task proved to be rather difficult._

 _So the only help we would receive was from the program I had developed all those years ago. Perhaps that will be all the help we will need, though it never hurts to be too careful._

 _I shook my head and started to dart my head around the front of the building in hopes to locate the former head of the project. Eventually, I could see the disguised man coming in from the distance with a rather large bag on his back._

 _"There you are," I said while the man in question made his way over towards the front of the building._

 _"Sorry to keep you waiting. I just needed to gather a few things." He said while grabbing something from within his bag. "I got these in case things wind up going south. Only use them in case of an emergency." The man proceeded to pull out a double action revolver with a short barrel from the bag._

 _"I don't think I'll be needing this," I said while pushing away the weapon._

 _"Like I said, just for emergencies. We don't know what kind of monsters are down there. It would be wise to confront the man with a way to defend yourself." While I wasn't exactly keen on taking the firearm, he did have a point._

 _The Director was starting to grow more cautious as the days went by, so there was no telling what would happen once I actually arrived at the confrontation in the first place._

 _I started to weigh both the positives and the negatives of having this weapon, though, after careful consideration, I decided that it would be for the best if I took the double action revolver._

 _"Smart choice. There's no telling what will happen today." He said while giving me some extra ammunition to use. "Oh, and here. This is a communication device that we can use to keep in touch with one another. Just stick it into your ear and press this button." He said._

 _I nodded before proceeding to do as he had instructed. "This is it. It's now or never, are you having any second thoughts with this?" He asked._

 _"No, we've come too far to turn back now," I said before taking out the console that held Granite. "You still on board with this? We got the information we need, no harm in wanting to sit this one out."_

 ** _"While I do believe that these actions are rather rash, I stand by the answer I gave you the past eighty-three times you asked. I am fully aware of the risks of the mission and will prepare for the potential consequences to come."_** _He said._

 _"Okay then. Time to put an end to things." I said while hiding the revolver in the bag that I carried. The two of us walked into the lobby of the main building, the mission had now officially begun._

 _I took a deep breath and walked over towards the receptionist's desk with a calm expression, despite how tense I was on the inside. "Hello." I greeted, causing the man I had come to know over the past four years to raise his head._

 _"Ah! Hello Maralyn! Good to see you're back in the office, you were gone for about a week. What happened?" He asked._

 _"Oh, you know. Just a little virus that's been going around. Nothing a few days of rest won't fix." I responded._

 _"A virus?! Do you think it's been going around here?! I can't get sick again, that'll be the third time this month!" The receptionist said while going into a slight panic. I raised my hand in order to calm the man down._

 _"Calm down. I doubt it's still in the air. I don't think you'll have to call in sick again." I said._

 _"Whew! That's a relief. So who's your friend here?" He asked while pointing at the disguised Brock._

 _"Hmm? Oh! This is an intern that will be working here at the company for the time being. I was wondering if you could point us in the direction to any open offices." I requested._

 _"Right! Of course, there should be one on the fifth floor. Here, I'll give you the keys to the office." The receptionist said as he got the keys to the office out from under the desk._

 _"Thanks, have a nice day," I said while walking towards the elevator, the disguised Brock following close behind. There were some of the security guards who were rather suspicious of the two of us due to the fact that the former head of the project was covered from head to toe in clothing._

 _Fortunately for us, we were able to make it to the empty office on the fifth floor without running into too much trouble. "So shall we go over the plan one more time?" Brock asked while taking off the various pieces of cloth that he had wrapped around his face._

 _"I think I've got it covered for the most part. Though I suppose one more briefing wouldn't hurt anyone." I said before I locked the door._

 _"Right, so here's how things are gonna go down. I'm gonna cause a diversion with the security here in the building. I'll try to get everyone out of here with the use of the self destruct system." He said._

 _"You sure that'll be safe?" I asked as I wasn't to keen on the potential threat of death looming over our heads._

 _"Don't you worry. When I installed the failsafe in the first place, I made it so that it can be disarmed if there was ever a situation where there was a false alarm. Once I'm certain that everyone made it out the building, we'll seal it off to the outside public." He said._

 _"What about security? It's gonna be rather challenging to deal with them once the alarms go off." I said._

 _"I've got a few weapons that'll stun them for a short period of time. Just enough to get them out of the building that is. As for you, haven't you been storing up all that energy for the past two months?" Brock asked._

 _"That may be true, though I'd like to save it for the confrontation with Merlot," I said. "Besides, I'm not too experienced with fighting even after these past two months." I flared some of the energy that I had begun to store up._

 _"Neither am I, though it'll have to do for the time being. We need to create a scene in order to distract the public from what's really going on." Brock said. "Once we have everything secured, that's when we go and confront Merlot."  
_

 _I nodded before proceeding to load some of the bullets into the cylinder of the revolver. Once I was certain that it would work properly, I placed it into the concealed holster I had wrapped around the belt I had. "Seems like everything is in order. Granite, I trust that you'll do your best to keep security off of our trail? We're prepared to fight, though we'd like to save our strength for the main confrontation." I said._

 ** _"Understood."_** _He said before appearing on the shoulder of the former head of the project._

 _"This all ends today. We're gonna put a stop to Merlot's plans, once and for all." Brock said while holding his hand outwards. "Good luck out there, you're gonna need it."_

 _"...You're talking as if this will be the last time we see each other." I said with one of my eyebrows raised. "Don't you worry, we'll both see this through to the end with our heads held high." I proceeded to grab the mans hand in order to shake it._

 _"Here's hoping." He said before grabbing the bag that he brought with him into the building. "We know our roles. Time to get things started." The two of us proceeded to walk out of the office with serious expressions on our faces._

 _We both went in our own separate directions, Brock making his way over towards the security room while I started to head on over towards the office of Victor Merlot located on the top floor._

 _I was rather curious as to how the man was even going to enter the security room in the first place, as I doubt the guards would simply allow him to walk into the room without a moments notice._

 _Meanwhile, the former head of the project continued to walk through the various hallways of the building until he eventually reached the room where the self destruct system was._

 _The man took a deep breath before proceeding to dawn the disguise he had prepared. From the outsiders perspective, he looked like an ordinary engineer, though before he even came to the building he took precautions in order to ensure that none of the staff would recognize him._

 _"Hold on. This here is a restricted area." One of the guards said with a stern tone._

 _"I'm part of the repair team. I was called here to do some maintenance on the self destruct system." He said while holding up the forged I.D badge that he had created in order to impersonate an engineer._

 _The two guards looked at one another with confused expressions for a few moments until they eventually turned to face the man once again. "We didn't get reports for any need of maintenance." He said._

 _"It was a recent report. I was told that running a few maintenance tests on the fail-safe were in order." He said._

 _"...I guess it was at the briefing we missed. Very well, you can head inside, though be careful with the self destruct system." One of the guards said before he proceeded to unlock the door leading to the inside of the room._

 _Brock nodded his head before he stepped into the room in question. His head started to move around the area in order to locate the console that managed the fail-safe that he had developed._

 _A few moments of silence passed until his eyes eventually landed on the console that he had been searching for. "Here we go," Brock said to himself while placing his bag on the side of the computer._

 _"Huh? What are you talking about? There's someone in the room already." One of the guards said._

 _"Damn it. I thought I'd at least be able to get one drill out before maintenance came." The man growled to himself, though before the two security guards could confront the disguised intruder, he ran over towards the door and slammed it shut._

 _The members of the security team attempted to kick down the door, though the strength of the former head of the project far exceeded that of any of the staff in the building._

 _He reached over to his side in order to grab onto one of the metal cupboards that were near the front door. Once he was certain that the doors were secure, he made his way over towards the console that controlled the fail-safe._

 _"Now, time to create a diversion." He said while going through the various firewalls he had installed in order to prevent this exact scenario from happening in the first place._

 _It took him a few moments, though the man was eventually able to arm the fail-safe in question. The barricade he had set up was close to giving out, which in turn caused him to activate the system before the two guards could enter the room._

 _The alarms started to ring throughout the building as a warning to anyone who was in the building. All of a sudden, the pounding on the front door came to a halt, telling the man that the three individuals who had been attempting to confront him had decided to escape while they still could._

 _With that, Brock made his way over towards the main security panel in hopes to access the cameras that were scattered all around the facility. "Granite. Can you get access to the security cameras?" He asked._

 ** _"Hold on a moment."_** _He said before proceeding to go through the various systems and firewalls in order to give them the vision they needed. It took a few moments, though the program was eventually able to access the systems. **"There we are. Now we have access to nearly every camera within the facility, as well as a few that have been placed outside."**_

 _"Nearly?" Brock asked._

 ** _"It would appear that the camera within Doctor Merlot's office has been manually disabled."_** _He said._

 _"Figures. Though no matter, right now our job is to make sure everyone in the building leaves. Once we're sure everyone made it out, we seal the building off to the outside world. Speaking of which, I don't suppose that you've located the program that controls that protocol?"_

 ** _"The program is much more complicated then I had originally expected. I'd say it would take ten minutes to fully decode these files in order to gain access."_** _He said._

 _"Hmm, I don't suppose you could cut a few corners to make this whole process move a little quicker? We're not exactly pressed for time here." He said._

 ** _"I did cut corners. This is the time I was able to calculate doing the bare minimum amount of required work."_** _The program said._

 _"Figures. Didn't think this whole opperation would be easy." He said as he turned to face the console that operated the self destruct system. One minute had already passed, meaning that there were only four minutes remaining until the explosion._

 _On the other end of the operation, the woman had been running through the building while the alarms rang throughout the hallways. The various members of the staff ran towards the nearest exit in hopes to escape the explosion while our heroine had been running up the various flights of stairs in order to confront the director._

 _Her lungs felt like they were about to burst from her chest, though right now that wasn't much of an issue for her. The only thing on her mind was stopping the man at the top of this building._

 _She ran past many of the employees of the company, sometimes running into them due to her sheer will to stop the man she thought had earned her trust. It took her quite a bit of time, though she eventually arrived at the two wooden doors of the man's office._

 _As if on cue, the alarms that had been ringing throughout the building came to a sudden stop. It took a few moments for the alarms to trigger once again, though the warnings had seemingly driven anyone on the top floor out._

 _Maralyn took a deep breath before proceeding to kick down the doors leading to the office of Victor Merlot. However, the only thing she was met once she rushed into the room to confront the man was an empty room._

 _Books were scattered all around the desk and the passageway leading to the underground laboratory was open for all to see. I started to move my head around the office for a few moments before letting out a sigh._

 _Judging by the state of the man's office, he had left for the development lab in a hurry. I shook my head before moving over towards the elevator that led down to where the prototypes were._

 _Even when people are in a panic he still finds time to attend to his work, guess some things never change I suppose. Though right now I had other matters to attend to, ones that were far more important._

 _I walked into the metal box and proceeded to press the button that would cause it to descend to the lower levels of the building. Levels that none of the staff even knew about in the first place._

 _The alarms started to fade into the background as the metal box continued to move towards the underground laboratory. I pulled out the pistol that I received from Brock and proceeded to take out some of the actual lethal rounds that I got._

 _While taking lives wasn't exactly something I was actively trying to do, though I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures. Once I loaded the gun with some of the bullets that I had taken, I placed the weapon into the holster._

 _A few moments of silence passed until the elevator came to a sudden halt. With that, I took a deep breath while taking out the double action revolver that I had on the side of my belt._

 _I was expecting some of the prototypes to be wandering around once I had actually entered the lab, though much to my surprise, the place was relatively unguarded. The monsters that had been created by Victor had all been locked within the testing tubes._

 _However, I knew better than to let my guard down, especially in a place like this. The air within the laboratory was rather unsettling while the only sounds that could be heard were the alarms coming from the building above and the sounds of the various computers that were scattered around the lab._

 _After a few moments of silence, I started to head towards the console in the center of the room. I started to go through the various prototypes that had been in development for the past two years now._

 _Some of the experiments held more power when compared to some of the earlier prototypes, though the man was never able to create the creature he had envisioned. Despite that, however, the lives of mankind shouldn't be a necessary price to be in order to create this weapon._

 _Though as I continued to go through the files in order to prepare them for extraction, I noticed something rather peculiar near the end. It was the last file in the system, the most recent creation that was up_ _for testing._

 _However, before I could further look into the matter, I could feel the ground begin to shake from within the room. Though it sudden tremor wasn't due to the fail-safe that was armed within the building, rather it was coming from within the underground facility itself._

 _Without so much as a second thought, I bolted towards the doors leading to the hallways of the laboratory. The tremors continued to grow stronger and stronger the more I ran down the various hallways._

 _OnceI reached the testing rooms, I kicked the door open in order to confront the man that had been behind these atrocities. Though before I could get even a single word out, I suddenly froze once I caught glimpse of just what was within the arena that had been developed by Brock._

 _The beast was unlike any other prototype I had ever seen, it towered above all the machines that were in the room while it's power and weight was enough to shake the very ground beneath us._

 _At the very center of the room stood Victor Merlot himself, the man behind the kidnappings that have been going on for the past six months. He was operating some sort of machine that stabilized the prototype that was currently being contained._

 _He turned his head over towards the entrance of the room once he heard the door open. "Ah, good to see you. Here I thought you wouldn't be showing to witness this marvelous achievement."_

 _"..." I wasn't really sure how to handle what was currently happening before my eyes. The very reason this plan of ours was developed in the first place was to prevent this very scenario from happening in the first place._

 _I was eventually able to regain what little composure I had in order to question the man. "What is this?" I asked in a rather shaken tone._

 _"An excellent question. This here is the result of years of hard work and research." The man responded while placing his hand on the machine that was containing the prototype. "We've finally done it I tell you, this is what we've been working towards for the past four years."_

 _"..." His response wasn't exactly reassuring, as if it meant what I think it meant then that means that this isn't just a prototype. Before my very eyes stood the finished project that Victor had been attempting to create for years now._

 _"It truly is a shame that our friend could not be here to witness the next phase of this war we are faced with." He said._

 _I about spoke up against the man's word, though before a word could be spoken I noticed something about the man's statement that could possibly push this situation in my favor._

 _He wasn't even aware that I was working against him in this scenario, I could stop things from getting too out of hand without Merlot ever figuring out the truth behind the matter._

 _"Are you alright? You seem rather dazed." He said._

 _"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine. Don't worry." I responded while secretly placing the gun that I had into the holster. "So this is it. Everything ends today." I said while walking over towards the man._

 _"Theoretically. There are still a few adjustments that need to be made. Once that is complete, the world will be ready to witness the next step in human evolution." Merlot said with a proud grin on his face._

 _"What do you need?" I asked._

 _The director began to walk over towards one of the computers on the other side of the room. "I need you to keep the machine stabilized while I run a few diagnostics." He said before returning to the console at the center of the room._

 _I turned my head back to face the man before going through the various systems that were installed to keep the machine that was containing the prototype stabilized. The goal I was trying to achieve was to cause a malfunction in the systems so that the machine would become unstable._

 _With any luck, this would prove to be too much for the beast to handle, thus killing it in the process while ensuring that Merlot couldn't make any more of these specimens in the near future._

 _Though before I could truly put a dent into the console, I could hear Brock's voice coming from the communication device that I got from him. I looked over my shoulder to see if the director had noticed the sudden voice coming from within the room, though he seemed to be too wrapped up on his work to have heard anything._

 _"You've got some impeccable timing, you know that?" I hissed._

 _ **"Look, I've already run through three drills. People are starting to get suspicious here."**_ _Brock said through the communication device. **"I'll only be able to go through one more before people figure out that this whole drill is just a distraction."**_

 _"Damn it," I swore. "Look, I'm in the testing room right now. Things are getting a little more complicated down here." I whispered._

 ** _"More complicated than they already are? How did you manage that?"_** _He asked._

 _"We may have gotten the date of the plan a little off. As it just so happens, Victor is currently working on finishing the perfect prototype he told us about two years ago." I said through the device._

 ** _"What?!"_** _He shouted directly into the device, causing the man in question to turn his head over towards the computer that I was operating._

 _"Did you say something?" Merlot asked._

 _"No. Just coughed a little. No need to worry." I said in hopes to shoot down any suspicion that the director had. He narrowed his eyes for a few moments before turning back to his work. "Keep it down! You'll blow my cover here!"_

 ** _"I don't understand! The Prototype is finished?! The Director wasn't even close to completing it when I was around how exactly did he make so much progress within the span of two months?!"_** _He asked._

 _"Hell if I know! Though it doesn't matter right now. I'm doing what I can to handle the situation right now." I said. "Merlot doesn't know that I'm working against him. All I need to do is destroy the machine he uses to create these prototypes."_

 ** _"Easier said than done."_** _He said._

 _"Yeah, I know. Just get everyone out of the building, once you do that all you need to do is activate the security protocol to ensure nobody else can enter." I said to the man on the other side of the com._

 ** _"I'm doing the best I can here. Though security is starting to get suspicious."_** _He said._

 _"Just buy us some time! I'm close to shutting this machine down!" I said._

 _"What are you mumbling about over there?" Merlot questioned, causing my heart rate to shoot up ever so suddenly. "Also, where is that A.I of yours? Shouldn't it be here to aid in the process?"_

 _"It's going under a few maintenance tests. Don't worry, we'll be able to handle it without him." I said before turning my attention back over towards Brock. "I'll call you back later." Once I had updated the man on the current situation, I cut off the call in order to avoid further suspicion._

 _"Hmm, I suppose you have a point." He said while continuing to monitor the status of the machine. It took a few moments, though I was eventually able to find a method that would overload the power of the machine._

 _Though I couldn't do it all at once, I had to be subtle about how I handled the situation. If Merlot even suspected that I was working against him then this whole operation could be compromised._

 _I took a deep breath and started to slowly increase the output of power in the machine. The ground started to shake suddenly, causing the man to stare at the prototype with an alarmed expression._

 _"Strange. That isn't supposed to happen." He said while going through some of the tabs on the console in the center of the room. While he was focused on trying to figure out what was going on, I proceeded to increase the amount of power._

 _The ground started to shake more violently as time went on, and it didn't take long for Victor to catch onto what I was doing. "Maralyn! What in the world do you think you are-?!" He began, though he was quickly cut off once he was faced with the barrel of the gun I had._

 _"Don't move." I threatened._

 _"...Why? We're so close." He questioned with an expression of disbelief._

 _"Did you honestly think I wouldn't find out? That I wouldn't find out just what you've been putting into these experiments?" I asked with my tone filled with nothing but venom._

 _"Hmm? Oh, I presume you are reffering to the inmates that I have been using for the experiments." He said, not even denying the claims I was making._

 _"Is that all you have to say?! Do you have no shame?!" I roared._

 _"They were a plague to our society! They were lives were practically over when I commandeered them! With these experiments, their worthless lives might just have some meaning!" Merlot countered. "Come on now, put the gun down. We can talk through-!" He began, though the only response I gave him was a swift bullet to the leg._

 _"Gah!" He yelled while falling to the ground, blood oozing out of the bullet hole._

 _"Brock was right. You are a madman trying to play god." I said before cocking the gun. "This ends now, Victor. We're putting a stop to this insanity before more people get hurt."_

 _"I'm so close Maralyn! This next experiment will mark the day that history is made! With these creatures, we will be able to truly live in a world of peace!" He said as he groveled on the **ground.** _

_"Goodbye Merlot," I said while putting every ounce of power into the machine._

 _"No!" He shouted before reaching out to stop the machine from overloading, though it was too late. It didn't take long for the machine to explode, causing the laboratory to shake due to the force of the blast._

 _A ringing noise started to echo throughout the halls of the underground laboratory. Most of the machinery was destroyed from the blast, though the two of us were able to survive._

 _"No! What have you done?!" He roared._

 _"It's over. It's finally over." I coughed before I got up from off of the ground. I could see Doctor Merlot desperately attempting to piece together the broken pieces of machinery that were destroyed due to the overload of power._

 _Once I picked up the revolver I had from off of the ground, I started to walk towards the man while gripping onto the handle tightly. I aimed the barrel of the gun at the man's head, though he wasn't even trying to struggle in hopes to survive._

 _The sound of the gun cocking rang throughout the room, though before I could even pull the trigger, the sound of the beast roaring suddenly cut the execution off. Merlot and I turned to see that the prototype did indeed survive the blast that was meant to silence it._

 _Before either of us could even react to the situation, I started to slip out of consciousness once I felt the pressure of a sudden force. The only thing I could see was darkness and the last thing I heard before I fell into unconsciousness was the sound of the prototype roaring._

 ** _..._**

"So that's basically what happened on that day. I don't really know how things were on the surface, I didn't wake up until a few hours after the prototype was destroyed." Maralyn said, thus concluding her side of the story. "It wasn't Merlot who released the mutation into the city. I was the one who did it."

"..." None of us were really sure how to respond.

The whole reason I agreed to help the Archeologist in the first place was to keep the promise that I made all those years ago, though now I learn the person that caused the massacre in the first place was standing right before us.

I couldn't even imagine what was going through Velvet's mind right now, as she was affected by that incident the most out of all of us. She had a rather distant expression on her face, and her gaze was fixated on the woman before us.

"Victor is responsible for a lot of atrocities. Though not this one, so if you're going to blame anyone for what happened that day then point your finger at the person who actually did it." She said as she hung her head in shame.

"Does anyone else know what happened? What really happened that is." Fox asked.

"Other then Headmaster Ozpin? No, the other members of the staff have no knowledge of what happened. He was the one who promised to keep it a secret from the general public in the first place." The woman said.

"I see. Though what happened to your subordinate? The one you refer to as Brock? Whatever happened to him?" Yatsuhashi questioned.

"He's still around as far as I'm aware. Though I haven't seen him in ten years now." The Huntress answered. "I just couldn't face him after what had happened. There was just no way I could tell him what happened."

"That right? So what about this A.I of yours? What happened to that?" Coco asked while taking off her sunglasses.

"Most of the equipment that was within the building at Merlot Industries was never retrieved. Though fortunately, an old friend was able to get him out of the building before everything went wrong." She said.

"He was a combat A.I, so I decided to give him to someone who would benefit from his programming more than I ever could," Maralyn said. "I haven't really heard anything from him since."

"Use for him? He was your friend, wasn't he? How could you just give him away like that?!" Fox asked.

"You think I wanted to give him up?! I didn't have the proper equipment to give him the maintenance he needed! His time was limited! He was failing! I had no other choice but to give him away!" She said.

"Failing?" Yatsuhashi asked.

"It means that the program couldn't keep functioning for very long. He would have died if he hadn't gotten maintenance." Coco explained.

"Hmm, I see. Then I suppose it's understandable as to why you would give him to someone who could keep him functioning. It must have been rather difficult to give up an old friend like that." He said.

"You have no idea." She said.

The Rabbit Girl in the room still hasn't said a word to anyone about the current situation. She seemed to be rather lost in thought, unaware of the world moving on around her. "Hey. Are you alright? You've been quiet for quite some time now." I asked the girl, though to no avail.

"Velvet," Coco called out, which seemed to have done the trick as the head of the girl in question perked up suddenly.

"Huh? Oh, do you need something Coco?" She asked.

"What's going on in that head of yours? I mean, the incident did have a fairly large impact on you." The leader of the team said. "Don't tell us that you don't have anything to say about all of this."

"Not really." She responded. "This is all a lot to take in."

"Understandable." The woman said. "I never thought I'd ever meet a survivor, and I certainly didn't expect one of the students at the Academy to be involved with the whole ordeal."

"Neither did we," Coco said. "Why didn't you ever tell us about your involvement with the massacre?" She questioned.

"It never really came up. Not only that though it isn't really an incident that I like to talk about in the first place." Velvet said. "Though I suppose now is as good of a time to talk about it as any."

"Listen, Scarletina." The professor said.

"Hmm? Yes, what is it?" She asked.

"I just wanted to apologize for what happened all those years ago." She said, which wasn't exactly a response any of us were really expecting. "I caused the Massacre in the first place, so it's only natural that I should take responsibility for the trouble I caused you all those years ago."

"..." The girl merely stood there in silence. "I understand." Though before the woman could respond to her unusual response, the rabbit girl quickly spoke up before a word could be uttered from her mouth.

"Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean I forgive you for what happened." She said. "You still have a chance to make up for your past mistakes. Merlot is still out there, and lord knows what will happen if we don't stop him as soon as we possibly can."

"..." Now the professor was the one who was speechless.

"Though I understand why you did it. You wanted to put an end to things, and I can understand that. Perhaps even I would have done the same given your situation." Velvet said with a smile on her face.

"..." With that, the woman fell to her knees while her hair covered her eyes. Though even with that, we could hear the audible sobs coming from Huntress in question, something I for one never thought I'd hear from her.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." She continued to apologize in between sobs. Everyone merely stood there in silence, as nobody was really certain on how to handle this whole situation.

However, before we could say anything in hopes to calm the Huntress down, she was eventually able to regain her composure while wiping away the tears that were falling down her cheeks. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

We gave the Archeologist a few moments to get her bearings straight before deciding what to do next. "I haven't cried like that in ten years. It feels oddly satisfying to let it all out though." She said.

"..." I merely stood there in silence as this whole scene played out.

"Regret is a natural feeling to have. We all have things that we are not proud of. Some more than others." Yatsuhashi said, however, I was the only one who knew what the giant truly meant behind his statement.

"Though right now it doesn't matter. The prototypes are now a danger to the people of the continent of Sanus." She said. "You won't be able to aid us in the hunt for these specimens. However, this doesn't mean you won't be able to help us in the search for Doctor Merlot."

"..."

"What do you mean?" Coco asked.

"Indeed. The one lead we had on the whereabouts of Victor were destroyed within the blast. With that gone, what can we do now?" Yatsuhashi questioned while pinching his chin with his right hand.

"I never said that. There are two methods we could use to locate the man. One way we could do it is by tracking down the source of the transmission that the Doctor used to communicate with us." She said.

"That sounds difficult, to say the least," Fox said.

"Understatement of the century. The man's been able to stay hidden for the past ten years, I doubt finding him will be an easy challenge." Maralyn said. "Though the transmission he had gives us an opportunity to track him."

"Alright, though what's our second option?" Coco asked.

"...We visit the only other person who could possibly know where Merlot could be. The one involved with the plan to stop Victor on the day of the massacre, Brock." She said with a rather serious expression.

"Hold on, I thought you said you haven't seen him in the past ten years." Velvet said.

"I haven't. However, as far as I'm aware the man is still in Vale. He was able to pull up some files on Doctor Merlot's locked files. Perhaps one of those files could give us a clue to where the mad man might have gone in case things went wrong." She said.

"You do have a point," Fox said.

"Though I doubt he'll be happy to see me after all this time. We didn't exactly leave on good terms after all." Maralyn said.

"It never hurts to try. He did sound pretty adamant about stopping Merlot from what you've told us in your story." Velvet said. "Hopefully you two can make amends for what happened in the past."

"Yeah, he probably won't listen to a random group of trainees so I'll have to be there for the confrontation. In the meantime, you four should search for clues on the whereabouts of the prototypes." The Huntress said.

"Hold on, I thought you told us that we couldn't involve ourselves with this whole situation," Coco said.

"I did, though things are different now. You all can't go out of your way to fight these things, you'd just get yourselves killed and I'd lose my job in the process." She said. "On the other hand, you should try to search for some of these experiments."

"Aren't there only a dozen or so of these prototypes? How exactly are we supposed to tell them apart from just any normal monster?" The leader of the team questioned.

"They're genetically mutated monsters mixed together with god knows what. These things shouldn't be too difficult to locate." The woman said. "As for you, we'll be paying Brock a visit once this is all said and done."

"..."

"Kid?" Maralyn questioned, however, I was rather deep in thought with the current conversation. Though I was brought back into reality once I heard the woman raise her voice.

"Hmm?" I hummed.

"Are you okay? It looks like something is bothering you." She said.

"...No, I'm fine. It's like Velvet said, this is just a whole lot to take in within the span of a single day." I said, which wasn't a complete lie. This situation was rather overwhelming, though that wasn't the source of the troubles I had.

"If you say so. Did you hear what I said though?" The Huntress questioned.

"The parts that mattered. We're going to go visit a man you haven't seen in ten years because he might have some information on the whereabouts of Victor." I repeated back to her.

"Well, I suppose you did get the gist of it all. Come on, let's head on out. I'd rather get this whole ordeal over with." The woman said as she proceeded to walk towards the exit to the lobby of the Headmaster's office. "You four keep us updated. Search for these prototypes though under no circumstances are you allowed to engage them."

Once the team gave their nods of approval, the two of us made our way out of the lobby.

Everyone has regrets, though some try to use those lingering thoughts to their advantage. As for the rest of us, we would like to forget what happened entirely, though, with all of these battles and conflicts going on, it's been becoming harder to forget what happened.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus, another chapter of our story comes to a close. With the truth revealed to our heroine, she hatched a plot with the aid of some of her allies in order to put an end to the schemes of the madman.**_

 _ **However, things go horribly wrong for the group as one of the most powerful prototypes that Merlot had ever created managed to roam free throughout the streets of Mountain Glenn.**_

 _ **Many had perished on that day, and our so-called heroes were left with a bitter feeling that would linger in their minds for years to come. Though if one can manage to overcome the past, then the road leading to the present will become all the more clear.**_

 _ **Tragedy struck all those years ago, leaving no victors to walk away from the incident. However, now there is a chance to set things right, to truly put the souls that were lost during the massacre to rest.**_

 _ **With some of the weight lifted off of her shoulders, the Huntress and The Boy now make their way to meet with an old friend in hopes to get a clue on the current location of the good doctor.**_

 _ **The mind of the former assistant of the madman can be at ease for the time being, though our hero finds himself with much more on his mind than ever before. Soon it will become nigh impossible to hide the past.**_

 _ **Though, that is a story for another day.**_

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 _ **For those of you who are curious as to why this chapter took as long as it did to see a release, there are a couple of reasons behind it. First off, I had to attend to some family matters that were going on across the country.**_

 _ **Nothing bad mind you, though it was still important.**_

 _ **Secondly, I didn't want to rush this chapter just so I could reach the deadline I had set for this story. You all deserve the best quality chapters I can possibly give you, and if that means I need another week to write things down then so be it.**_

 _ **Other than that, this was all that really prevented things from going as quickly as I had originally hoped for.**_ _ **The next chapter should be released within the next two weeks, so I hope to see all of you there when it does come out.**_

 _ **Speaking of which, here's the title for the next chapter.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next chapter: The Reunion**_


	16. The Reunion

_**The Story so Far... With one of the core leads that could possibly point them into the direction of the whereabouts of Victor Merlot, our heroes find themselves with a rather peculiar set of circumstances.**_

 _ **Various prototypes were released into the world, and the one place that could possibly reveal the location of the madman himself was destroyed in the trap that was set prior to the group arriving.**_

 _ **However, these series of events had managed to convince the cryptic headmaster of Beacon Academy to aid the group in the search for the man who had caused so much suffering all those years ago.**_

 _ **At least, that was what most people believed to have happened on that day.**_

 _ **Though what if the truth was not so simple? Such a possibility has indeed come to fruition, and it was revealed that the true culprit behind the massacre was not the creator of the prototypes, rather**_ _ **the one who caused the terrible incident ten years ago was Maralyn herself.**_

 _ **Before this sudden reveal, the only one who truly knew what happened was the one who gave employment to the woman in question. He agreed to keep it a secret from the general public.**_

 _ **To make matters even more surprising, the one known as Velvet Scarletina was revealed to have been one of the victims of the accident.**_

 _ **Many unpleasant memories had resurfaced, however, now was not the time to delve into the events of the past. Now, the group only has two possible leads to go off of.**_

 _ **The signal that was transmitted from within the underground laboratory could possibly be traced back to its source, thus revealing the location of Victor Merlot once and for all.**_

 _ **On the other hand, one could take the more subtle yet complex approach when it came to tracking down the man. There was one other man who could know the whereabouts of the director, one man who could possibly reveal where the director could be hiding.**_

 _ **However, drawing said information out of him would prove to be more of a challenge than our heroes originally bargained for.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **The Reunion**_

Once we all parted ways from the lobby of the Headmaster's office, we immediately booked an airship to the residential district of the City of Vale in order to meet with the only man who could give us a lead.

Needless to say, Maralyn looked rather tense on our way towards the last known location of the man in question. Though I suppose that's only natural, it has been over a decade since she last saw him, and things didn't exactly leave on a high note.

However, we didn't exactly have any other options available to us. We had to take every opportunity we had now that the main building of Merlot Industries was destroyed in the explosion.

It took us quite a bit of time to reach the house and judging by the condition it was in, someone was still living here. Some sort of dog could be seen on the front porch of the house, though there was no sign of the owner anywhere.

"So this is the place?" I asked from the passenger seat of the car we were using.

"This is his old house. Though that doesn't necessarily mean that he still lives here." The woman said while gripping the wheel of the car tightly. "It does still seem to be in good condition though."

"What about that dog right there? Don't you recognize it?" I questioned.

"Hmm, so here's the thing. I've never actually been to the man's house before." She admitted.

"So how in the hell do we even know we're in the right place in the first place?!" I asked in a rather annoyed tone.

"Because I've had his address in this scroll here for a long time." The Huntress said while pulling out the piece of technology that she had in her bag. An address could be seen on the screen of the communication device.

"Oh," I responded as I finished reading the message that was on the digital screen. "So what are we waiting for?" I asked.

"I'm just thinking about how I'm gonna handle all of this. It has been a while since we last spoke to one another." She said. "I doubt I can just walk up to his doorstep like nothing ever happened between the two of us."

I sat there in the passenger seat for a few moments as I thought upon the current situation. Though it only took a few moments of deep thought to come to a conclusion that would move things along.

Before she could begin her line of questioning, I opened the door to the passenger seat and proceeded to cross the street in order to knock on the door of the man that could give us a possible lead on the whereabouts of the director.

"Hold on a minute!" She said while getting out of the car we had used to get here. The ears of the dog that was resting on the front porch of the house perked up in response to the sudden commotion.

The dog started to bark once he saw the strangers walking towards the house. The heart rate of the woman started to get a little faster, as the owner of the house would no doubt come to check what was going on.

"Calm down, Sumo!" A gruff male voice said from the other side of the door.

Sumo ceased his barking once his owner exited the house, and I could hear an audible gasp coming from the woman. He was a tall man and muscular with black hair and a beard that was starting to show signs of his old age.

"Look, I don't want to buy anything you're buying." The man said, though his expression changed once the sight of his old friend caught his glance. Suddenly, an awkward silence filled the air, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of the dog panting.

"..." Maralyn didn't really know what to say, she only stood there in silence with a rather terrified expression on her face.

"Hold on." He began as he started to walk down the set of stone stairs that led to the front door of his house. "I must be getting old. I'm starting to see ghosts." The old man said while standing in front of his old friend.

Once the Archeologist regained her composure, she spoke up in hopes to get a grip on the situation. "Hey, Brock. It's been some time since we last spoke. How have you been?" She said with a nervous smile on her face.

"...This was not how I thought this day would go." He said.

"Neither did I. Yet here we are." The Huntress said without looking into the man's eye directly.

"...Well, it's good to see you!" The man said while holding out his hand in order to greet the woman.

Once she grasped onto the hand of Brock, the awkward tension in the air began to pass. "Yeah, it is. I see you've gotten yourself a little companion over there." She said while staring at the dog known as Sumo.

"Gets lonely living on your own. It's nice to have a little company around the house." He said as he turned his head around. "So who's this? He a friend of yours?" Brock asked, causing the woman to rub her neck in a nervous manner.

"That's a bit of a long story." She responded.

"Why don't you two come on in? Lord knows we have a lot to talk about now that you've decided to visit." The old man said.

Once we had settled in the house of the man, a rather long line of questioning began. "So how exactly did you wind up as a Huntress for the Academy?" Brock asked as he sat down on a chair that he had in his living room.

"There were a few arrangements the Headmaster made. It was a couple of months after the incident at Mountain Glenn." The man's expression shifted into a more serious one once the events of what had happened ten years ago were mentioned.

"Is that right?" He asked.

"Yep. So what have you been doing for the past ten years? You don't seem to be unemployed so I presume you've found yourself a job." The Huntress said before the two of us sat down on the sofa next to the chair.

"I'm developing technology for the Vale Military. I developed the mechanical combat robots that you see in the news sometimes." He said as he picked up a picture of the first robot he had ever developed.

There were also a few other people in front of the robot, people that neither of us recognized. "So who are these people?" She asked her old friend.

"Ah, these are some of the other staff members that were also working in the development department. It took a bit of time, though I finally managed to be the head of a team again." He said.

"Glad to see that things have turned for the better for you," Maralyn said with a rare smile on her face.

"So what about you? You just disappeared after the incident at Mountain Glenn." He said. "Then all of a sudden you reappear as a Huntress for the Academy."

"It's like I said before, it was a complicated arrangement. Though I've been the school's Archeologist for a long time now." She responded. "It's not a bad profession to do, the research grants also help."

"Not hard to imagine. I heard the Council will give a lot of money to the Academies research departments." Brock said.

A few moments of silence passed before the woman on the other side of the sofa spoke up. "So I'm sure you have questions about what happened that day." She said with a serious expression.

"...I had thought I had left the incident in the past. Though once I got word of the explosion that came from Mountain Glenn, some unpleasant memories have started to resurface." He said.

"No kidding," The Archeologist said.

"...What happened that day? You were right in the middle of the storm when it all happened." He questioned, which was a story that the Huntress wasn't exactly looking forward to telling.

"It was shortly after the last check-in we did..." She began as she told him the truth as to what had happened down there. Needless to say, the response she gave him was not what he was expecting.

"That's pretty much what happened. I woke up a few hours later in the medical airship during the evacuation." She said, concluding her side of the story to the man before her, who had a rather perplexed expression on his face.

"...So that's how it all went down then." He said while leaning back in his chair. "What changed your mind though? It's been ten years since that day, what drove you to come and here now?" Brock asked.

"It was hard to move on once everything was said and done. Though over time, I started to think back on what had happened while I was down in the underground laboratory." Mary said with her arms crossed.

"Not sure I follow." He said.

"The whole incident felt off somehow. So I started to dig a little deeper into the incidents surrounding the events of the massacre." She said. "For nearly ten years, I searched for the answers behind what had happened. I just knew something was hiding beneath the surface of the whole incident."

"I knew that Victor Merlot was still alive," Maralyn said as she proceeded to tell the man of series of events that had been going on over the past six months, as well as some of the events leading to her suspicion of the status of the man in question.

"So after all that we did, after all the sacrifices that were made in order to stop him, you mean to tell me that he's still alive?!" He asked with an angered expression on his face.

"I've looked into this matter is what I've been doing for the past ten years now. I had suspicions ever since the massacre, though now I'm certain. We even came across one of the directors holographic transmitters when we decided to investigate the laboratory. " She said.

"That right?" He said. "So I guess that explains why the fail-safe in the facility was activated. Glad to see that you weren't hurt in the blast." Brock said, however, there was a certain part of her statement that caught his attention.

"Hold on, just now you just said that we went to the laboratory? Are you saying that this kid was in the facility during the blast?!" He said, his tone now shifting into one of anger once he realized that she was involving children in this kind of situation.

"I understand that this doesn't exactly look good, though the only reason I recruited this boy was to cover more ground when it came to locating Doctor Merlot. He won't be involved with the confrontation." She said in hopes to defuse the situation.

"Still, this doesn't change the fact that you brought someone to the facility. You were aware of the self destruct system that was in the building." He said with a serious expression on his face.

"The facility was inactive for ten years, I thought the whole program would have shut down without having the proper maintenance for as long as it did." She countered.

"...I guess you have a point there." He said while rubbing his beard with his right hand.

"Not only that though the system was modified so that the time was five seconds instead of five minutes." She said.

"That isn't surprising." He said while rubbing the temples of his eyes with his hands. "Still, I can't believe he would mess with the system like that." The man growled as he clearly wasn't happy with the fact that someone had been messing with the system he had developed.

Brock merely sat there in silence with his arms crossed and his eyes closed as he thought upon everything we had told him. "Well then, that's a lot to take in. This was not how I thought this day would turn out. Though I'm still curious about one thing."

"Hmm?" The woman hummed in response.

"What exactly happened right after the Massacre happened? You disappeared for two months after the incident, and all of a sudden you're one of the staff members at Beacon. What exactly happened during those two months." He questioned, causing the Huntress to sigh in response.

"It's a bit of a long story." She said with a saddened expression on her face.

 ** _..._**

 _Everything went dark once I heard that ear piercing roar echo throughout the underground laboratory. I had hoped that it wasn't anything too serious, though I woke up to a living nightmare once I was able to regain consciousness in the medical airship that was flying away from the city._

 _The entire city was engulfed in flames, and the sound of gunfire could be heard from the smoke that was emanating from town. Various Huntresses and Huntsmen had gone to the city in hopes to get a hold of the situation, though it was clear that evacuation was the only solution._

 _Some of the Instructors from the Academy were there on that day, desperately trying to kill that abomination with all the power they had. However, even with the advantage in numbers at their side, it was still a hard fought battle, one that caused the lives of the people of the city and the warriors who had sworn to protect them._

 _The battle raged on for what felt like hours, though the Instructors of Beacon Academy were eventually able to take down the monster that took the lives of the people of the city._

 _However, similar to the rest of Victor Merlot's prototypes, the remains of the abominations were destroyed. Everyone did what they could to evacuate as many possible survivors, though there were some who had been below the city when the prototype started its rampage._

 _Plans to save the trapped citizens began the day after the incident, though the city itself was a lost cause as powerful monsters had decided to take shelter within the ruined buildings._

 _Not only that, though the expansion was a dark reminder as to what had happened that day. Those who survived the incident found it rather difficult to move on with their lives._

 _The press has been calling this the Massacre of Mountain Glenn, though according to what I've read, no one truly knew how this whole thing happened in the first place._

 _Victor Merlot was reported missing during the accident, causing the corporation to shut down due to the fact that most of the staff were unfit to work in that industry again for one reason or another._

 _Everyone in Vale was affected in some way or another, there was even a monument listing all of the people who had perished in the accident. Though despite being a victim in the tragedy, I just couldn't go to the memorial._

 _I was the one who let that monster out in the first place, there was no way I could face the victims of that incident. That was two months ago, at the moment I was sitting on the couch in the living room with a couple of bottles of alcohol on the wooden table._

 _Needless to say, things haven't exactly been great as of recently. I haven't had the will to look for another job ever since the Massacre, and the money that I did have I used to attempt to drown the painful memories away._

 _I went to go and pour another glass of the alcohol I bought, though the figure of the Combat Program I had developed all those years ago suddenly appeared in front of the bottle with his arms crossed._

 ** _"This is lifestyle is highly self-destructive."_** _He said, though his words fell on deaf ears as I proceeded to grab the bottle despite his words. **"Perhaps a search for a possible source of income would be the recommended course of action."**_

 _"..." The only response he got was the sound of silence._

 ** _"Silence is not an acceptable answer."_** _He said in a stern tone, though at the moment I wasn't really able to respond as I was currently drinking the rest of the bottle of vodka that I had bought from the store._

 _"I don't have anything to say," I said in a dry tone._

 ** _"You need to focus."_** _He said._

 _"On what exactly? On the fact that the entire plan failed in every possible way?" I snapped while picking up the empty bottle. "You know what I need?" I asked before throwing the glass container over at the wall, causing it to break into tiny pieces._

 _"I need more to drink," I said while getting up to go to the kitchen. "You know what I needed? I needed that plan to work!" I yelled over at the program in question._

 ** _"The plan did work. Merlot will be unable to conduct his experiments for the foreseeable future."_** _He said._

 _"No, that wasn't the plan, the plan was to stop Merlot from continuing his experiments without getting the general public involved with what was going on," I said before taking out another bottle of alcohol from the fridge._

 _"What happened that day was the exact opposite of what we were going for. Thousands of people died that day because I thought I could have ended it with the simple push of a button!" I yelled._

 ** _"You couldn't have known what would have happened."_** _He said._

 _"I should have," I said while taking a sip of the vodka I had in the fridge. "We were prepared for the worst. Now look, we've got nothing now." I said, though once I started to walk I started to feel light-headed, causing me to stumble forwards a bit._

 ** _"Please take a seat. You are unfit to walk given your current state."_** _The program recommended._

 _"But yeah sure! We stopped Merlot for good this time! It only took the deaths of countless people to do it!" I said while breathing heavily. "We failed. I don't know about you, though I would like to forget this whole thing ever happened in the first place." With that, I started to walk towards the sofa in the living room once again._

 ** _"Wait a moment. I..."_** _Suddenly, the figure of the Artifical Intelligence Unit started glitch like some sort of computer program. Knowing exactly what was happening, as well as how to handle the situation, I quickly ran over to the living room in order to grab the tools required to fix this issue._

 _The A.I unit appeared on the wooden table once everything was under control. This was happening more often as of recently, not only that but it was becoming increasingly more difficult to do maintenance._

 _"Are you okay?" I asked._

 ** _"Do you want an answer that will put you at ease or the honest truth?"_** _He asked._

 _Once I heard this, I proceeded to slam my forehead onto the wooden table out of frustration. "You're failing," I said in a dry and saddened tone. I knew that he wouldn't be able to stay around for long once the city was deemed too dangerous to enter, though there was a part of me that truly hoped that he would be able to keep his systems running._

 ** _"I am, unfortunately."_** _He said._

 _"How long?" I asked without facing the program in question._

 ** _"At the current rate? I would say about a week at most."_** _As if things couldn't get any worse then they already were. **"However, I am content with that."** He said, which in turn, caused me to stare at the program with a rather perplexed expression. _

_I was about to say something to the program, though I was quickly stopped before anything could come out._

 ** _"The reason I was created in the first place was to aid humanity in the battle against the monsters of this world. Now that I am unable to do this task, it is only fitting that the time I have in this world would be cut short."_** _He said._

 _"That's not-!" I said in hopes to calm myself down. "You're more than just some program! You're a friend of mine and I'm not going to let you die!" I said as I got up in order to look through the office upstairs in hopes to find some sort of solution to this problem._

 _I felt more lightheaded as I continued to walk through the house, though just as I was about to walk up the staircase I could see the figure of the failing program appear in front of the stairway._

 ** _"Please, listen before you do anything that you will regret."_** _He requested._

 _I wanted to just move past him in order to search for an answer, though once I thought about it more, I decided that it would be better to listen to what the program had to say before I did anything._

 _The two of us sat down on the two front steps of the stairwell. "So what did you want to say?" I asked._

 ** _"How long have we known one another?"_** _Granite asked._

 _"For about five years now," I said. "I'm the first person you've ever really known once you were activated." Looking back on it, the Artificial Intelligence Unit didn't know anyone outside of the development team._

 ** _"That would be correct without going into the specifics."_** _He said. **"Once I was activated, I had to think about the possibility of the systems failing. An A.I's lifespan is rather short if not given the proper maintenance."**_

 _ **"I thought upon this outcome and learned to accept it."** The program said. **"Now I ask you to do the same."**_

 _Once he had said what he wanted, I started to sigh before responding to his statement. "I can find a way to fix you I just need time," I said in a desperate tone._

 ** _"We do not have the funds nor the resources to undergo the maintenance necessary to keep an Artificial Intelligence Unit stable."_** _He said, which wasn't exactly reassuring._

 _"..." I merely sat there in silence without facing the program._

 ** _"You and I have known one another for a long time, and I would even consider the two of us friends."_** _He said. **"So as your friend, I ask you to move on with the life that you have."** The program requested._

 _I merely sat on the two front stairs in silence while thinking upon the words of the Artificial Intelligence Unit._ _Though before I could give him a proper response, the sound of someone knocking on the door of the house brought us back to reality._

 _"Hello?! Is anybody home! This is Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck!" The voice said from the other side of the door. "I do believe we met a few years ago! During the outbreak of one of the monsters!"_

 _"..." The two of us weren't really sure how to respond to the sudden outburst of one of the instructors from the Huntsmen Academy in Vale. "Go offline," I said as I stood up from where I was sitting._

 _Though before he could question the sudden order I gave him, I spoke up in order to explain the situation. "No one knows that I still have you, I was supposed to hand over all property of Merlot Industries over to the Council a couple of months ago."_

 ** _"..."_** _Doing as instructed, the Artifical Intelligence Unit proceeded to go offline in order to avoid detection._

 _"I came to retrieve you on behalf of Headmaster Ozpin! He wishes to speak with you on a matter of utmost importance!" He said._

 _Upon hearing this, I ran over to the door in order to open it. The green haired man was about to knock on the door again, though he was suddenly stopped once he saw the wooden entrance fly open._

 _"Ah! Hello there! I was beginning to think you weren't home at the time!" He said with his arms behind his back._

 _"What does the Headmaster of Beacon Academy want to talk about in the first place?" I asked._

 _In response, the man started to scan the area around the house in order to search for any potential eavesdroppers, though once he was certain that nobody would be listening in on the conversation, he proceeded to answer the question I asked him._

 _"He has a few questions for you about the events that transpired during the Massacre of Mountain Glenn." He said._

 _I almost had a heart attack once I heard his answer, and I was half tempted to just slam the door on him right then and there. Though I figured that would only look more suspicious, so I decided to press for more details. "Did he give any specifics?" I asked._

 _"No, all he said was that it was something only you would be able to tell him." This pretty much confirmed that he wanted to talk about what happened in the underground laboratory on the day of the incident._

 _"I am quite curious as to what you know, however, I understand that the headmaster has his reasons for keeping the details a secret," Oobleck said. "Though enough of that, let us not keep the Headmaster waiting." The man said before walking towards the vehicle he used to get here in the first place._

 _"..." I stood there in silence, as I wasn't really sure what to do in this current situation._

 _"Hmm? Is something the matter?" Oobleck asked in hopes to break me out of the daze I was currently in._

 _"Oh. No, I'm fine. Though I just need to grab a few things before we leave." I said while attempting to calm my nerves._

 _"Yes, of course." He said before he entered the driver seat of the vehicle he had. Once I walked into the house, I closed the door and grabbed the storage unit that was sitting on the wooden table in the living room._

 _I wasn't exactly sure how this conversation would go in the end, so I decided to prepare for the worst possible outcome._ _A could feel a heavy weight on my shoulders once I walked out of the house, though I took a deep breath before walking over towards the vehicle in front of the house._

 _The trip there was a silent one, as I was lost in thought for the duration of the trip. I could hear the instructor talking, though I wasn't really able to make out what he was saying._

 _However, I was brought back to reality just as we arrived at the building. My heart rate started to pick up once I saw some of the Atlas Soldiers standing in front of the entrance to the building. "So would you mind explaining why the Atlas Military is here?" I asked with a nervous expression._

 _"Hmm, I'm not sure." He said while rubbing his chin with his right hand. "However, I'm sure that the Headmaster has his reasons." The man said as he parked the car in front of the building._

 _A cold sweat started to form, though I took a deep breath in order to regain what little composure I had. "This is where we part ways for now. Perhaps we shall meet again someday." He said before he unlocked the door to the passenger seat of the car._

 _With that, I grasped onto the handle of the car and stepped outside. I stood in front of the building alone as the sound of the engine started to fade into the distance as the car drove off._

 _One of the soldiers could be seen talking into some communication device that he had in his hand, though I wasn't really able to understand what he was saying to begin with._

 _A few moments of silence passed, as I wasn't really sure what to do given the circumstances. Though just as I was about to use this opportunity to get some information from the two guards, the two front doors leading to the inside of the building opened suddenly._

 _I could see a tall man walk out from the metal entrance with a serious expression. He had a white coat wrapped around his body, as well as various medals that were latched onto the chest area._

 _The man was clearly someone who had a high rank in the Atlas Military as the two soldiers that were placed in front of the building started to salute. "General!" The two soldiers shouted._

 _"At ease." He said before turning his attention over towards the current situation. "You must be Maralyn. You were an employee at Merlot Industries." He said with a commanding tone in his voice._

 _"I was up until two months ago," I said with an audible gulp. '_

 _"Come in, we have a lot to talk about." The man said as he turned around to enter the tall building near the runways of the city. I started to shake where I stood, as I didn't think that the General of the Atlas Army would be here. "I'm sorry, I forgot about introductions." He said while turning around with an intimidating presence around him._

 _"My name is James Ironwood. I am the General of the Atlas Army, as well as the Headmaster of its Huntsmen Academy." He said, causing the blood coursing through my veins to go cold._

 _It was bad enough that there was such a high ranking officer in the Kingdom of Vale, though the Headmaster of Atlas Academy? The situation started to get tense as time went on, and escape seemed nearly impossible._

 _"Perhaps we should get you some medical assistance. You don't look well at all." He said._

 _He wasn't completely wrong, I felt like complete and utter garbage due to the fact that I've been consuming nothing but alcohol for the past two months. Though I've already made it this far, no turning back now._

 _"I'll be fine. I just have a headache." I said as I followed the man into the structure._

 _"Very well. Come this way, Professor Ozpin is on the upper level of the building." The General said before walking over towards the elevator on the right side of the room. I stood in the metal box as began our ascent, though the trip wasn't all that long as the building was only about five stories high._

 _Though it felt like an eternity for me due to the tension that was in the air ever since I left the house. "So what exactly does Ozpin want to speak about?" I asked while a single drop of sweat fell down onto the floor._

 _"He wishes to question you about the events that transpired on the day of the Massacre of Mountain Glenn." The man said. "I would have done the questioning, though Professor Ozpin was persistent on this matter."_

 _"Though what do I know? I wasn't the only one who was in the building during the incident." I said._

 _"We don't want to know what happened in the building." He said in a stern tone. "Rather we want to know what happened under it." I was about to say something about the sudden statement, though the doors to the elevator opened._

 _The wall through the hallways of the building was rather tense, as I now knew the exact reason as to why I was called here in the first place. We eventually found ourselves at the door leading to one of the rooms on the top floor. "He's just in here. I'll be outside in case things go wrong." He said with a serious expression._

 _"I don't understand. How exactly would things go wrong?" I asked with a nervous tone._

 _"You'd be surprised what people are capable of when they are backed into a corner." He said. "Now go, it won't do you any good to delay this meeting any more then you've already have."_

 _I merely stood there in silence for a few moments before grabbing the handle of the door and entering the room. However, I was quickly stopped once I saw the Headmaster of Beacon Academy sitting on the other side of a metal table in the dimly lit room._

 _A mug of coffee could be seen next to him, as well as the signature cane that he carried around. "Ah, good morning." He said with a serious expression on his face while grasping the end of his cane._

 _"...Right. Good morning." I said to the man._

 _"Would you close the door behind you?" Ozpin asked while taking a sip from the mug he had on the table. I nodded vigorously before slamming the metal entrance shut, causing the table to shake slightly._

 _"Are you alright? You don't look well. Perhaps I should have someone fetch some medicine for you." He said._

 _"No, I'll be alright. Just a hangover is all." I groaned._

 _"I see. These past two months must have been rather difficult for you." Ozpin said while placing the cup onto the metal table in front of him. His eyes were sharp, radiating with decades upon decades of experience._

 _"Everyone was affected by this incident in one way or another," I said in hopes to dismiss any suspicion this man might have had._

 _"That may be true. The Massacre was indeed a tragedy, not just to the Kingdom of Vale. However, I can't imagine how you must feel." He said while the light from the lamp above the table reflected off of his spectacles. "After all, you were one of the few people who had knowledge of Victor Merlot's experiments on the Creatures of Grimm."_

 _"...What are you talking about? I was just an employee at the company is all." I said._

 _"Lying will not do your credibility any good, I hope you know this." He said._

 _"I'm not lying. What experiments are you talking about? Not only thought but how would you experiment on the Grimm in the first place? Many scientists have tried and failed to accomplish such a thing." I said._

 _However, the only response the man gave was to pull out his scroll in order to play some sort of recording. "I understand that this is a rather sudden offer. You do not have to accept the offer, no harm no foul. Though I'm close. I can feel it. I'm close to creating the perfect specimen. All I need is a little assistance." A recording of Merlot from two years ago said._

 _My blood froze once I saw that the Headmaster had a recording of the underground laboratory on his scroll. "...Have you been using humans in your experiments?" Brock questioned._

 _"Of course I haven't. Just some of the local wildlife, no one shall be harmed." He said._

 _"Hmm, I'm not so sure about that," Ozpin said before pausing the recording he had obtained from two years ago. "I must say, this type of information was not easy to come across."_

 _"..."_

 _"Now, will you still deny your involvement with Doctor Merlot's experiments?" He asked._

 _There was no use hiding it now, I could be seen in the recording. "...It wasn't just the Creatures of Grimm, we were using some of the local wildlife, even some of the monsters that roamed in the caves and forests."_

 _"Why don't you take a seat? We have a lot to talk about." He said._

 _I nodded before I sat down in the chair on the other side of the metal table in the center of the room. "So how exactly did you get your hands on that recording in the first place?"_

 _"Ironwood and I questioned the staff of the company in hopes to not only discover how that creature was released into the city, though how exactly it was created in the first place." He said._

 _"How did you know it was created rather than being a dormant creature in the underground?" I asked._

 _"Do you know of any creature that self-destructs after you inflict enough harm onto it?" Ozpin answered with a question of his own. "Besides, we looked back on the history of the company and found a similar incident." He said while taking a sip from his mug of coffee._

 _"Perhaps not of this magnitude, though the creature did explode upon sustaining enough damage," He said. "It wasn't difficult to put these two details together, though back to your question about how we came across this footage."_

 _"During our questioning, we came across the other man in this footage. A man named Brock, who gave us this footage he had acquired on one condition." The Headmaster said. "He asked us to keep the truth behind the incident a secret from the general public."_

 _That was rather surprising, though I am glad that he saw the potential consequences that would follow. "We had no intention of telling the people of the world about the experiments in the first place." He said._

 _"Prospectors would surely search for the underground laboratory in order to confiscate its technology for profit." He said. "Now I don't know about you, but I believe that the mountain has taken enough from the people of this great kingdom."_

 _I merely nodded in agreement to the statement of the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. "Now where did our line of questioning lead us?" He asked._

 _"...Do you want an answer or...?" I began._

 _"It was a rhetorical question. We were led to you, as you were the only one who was present in the underground laboratory when the monster was released into the city." He said. "Though I suppose I should say the only one left alive."_

 _"You found Merlot's body?" I asked._

 _"No, the forces of Vale were more focused on rescuing the survivors trapped underneath the city then to search for a laboratory that very few people have knowledge of in the first place." He said. "Besides, I do believe it would look rather suspicious if the Headmasters of Atlas and Beacon went into the ruined city for investigation."_

 _"Isn't the fact that the two of you are questioning a single woman a little suspicious now?" I asked._

 _"As far as anyone else is concerned, we are doing a student exchange program. I can assure you that nobody outside of this building knows the true purpose of this very meeting." Ozpin said._

 _"Oh," I said in response._

 _"Now, for the purpose as to why you are here in the first place." He said while placing his scroll onto the metal table. "I am going to ask you one simple question, and your answer will vastly determine how this day ends for you."_

 _"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked nervously._

 _"It means that your answer will determine whether or not you get court marshaled for the death's of the thousands of people who were lost in the Kingdom of Vale." He said with a serious expression._

 _At this point, it felt as if my heart was going to leap out from my chest. I knew things were going to get tense once I heard that the Headmaster of Beacon Academy wanted to talk, though I never suspected this._

 _"I ask that you answer this question truthfully," Ozpin said. "Have I made myself clear on this matter?" He asked._

 _The only response I gave the man was to nod vigorously. "Y-Yes. I understand, Headmaster Ozpin." I said in a nervous tone._

 _"Good. Now then..." He began while leaning forwards. "What happened in the laboratory during the day of the Massacre?" The Headmaster asked with a stern tone in his voice._

 _I took a deep breath and proceeded to tell him everything about the past two years, as well as what had happened the last time I saw Victor Merlot in the underground laboratory._

 _The Headmaster merely sat there in silence as he listened intently to the details of what had happened. It took nearly two hours to give him all of the details as to what had happened, though once everything was said and done, the room was filled with nothing but silence._

 _"..." Ozpin closed his eyes as he thought upon the information that I had just disclosed to him._

 _A few moments of silence passed before I eventually spoke up. "So there you have it. I was the one who released the prototype into the city." I said to the man on the other side of the table._

 _"..." It took a few moments for the man to show any form of acknowledgment to the confession I made, though he eventually opened his eyes while placing his hands on the metal table in front of him._

 _"So you overloaded the systems to the machine in hopes to stop the experiments." He said._

 _I nodded in order to confirm his statement on the story I had just told him. "Therefore, you were unaware that the experiment would indeed manage to survive this attempt on its life." He said as his sharp expression turned into a softer one._

 _"..."_

 _"We cannot predict what the future may hold for us." He said. "No doubt this tragedy has weighed on your mind for quite a bit of time, though perhaps now it is time to move on to the next stage of your life."_

 _"So you're saying that I'm...?" I began with a hopeful expression._

 _"You are free to go. The true culprit behind the tragedy was Victor Merlot, and he shall pay for his crimes in the depths of hell." Ozpin said while gripping onto his coffee mug tightly._

 _"..." I could feel a sense of relief once I heard that Ozpin would not press charges on the lives that were lost on the day of the Massacre._

 _"Though now a new question arises." He said. "What shall you do now? Where do you think the next stage of your life will take you?" The Headmaster asked with a curious look on his face._

 _"I don't really know? I've spent the past two months grieving that I didn't really think about what I should do once the dust settled." I said with my arms crossed._

 _"Hmm, then might I give you a proposition then?" He asked, which in turn, got him a rather confused expression. "You are interested in Archeology, are you not?" The Headmaster questioned._

 _"Yeah, how did you figure that out?" I questioned._

 _"Before having this meeting, Ironwood and I did some research on just who you were. You were hired into Merlot Industries for your expertise in developing Combat A.I's, though you also studied Archeology in case things didn't work out in the research department." He said._

 _I merely stared at the man with a suspicious expression. "Where are you going with this?" I asked._

 _"The Prototype took the lives of quite the number of Huntsmen and Huntresses, and the blast killed even more of them." He said while placing his coffee mug onto the metal table in front of him._

 _"..."_

 _"One such Huntress was our school's Archeologist, who lost her life during the battle against the experiment. Not only that though the combat instructor of our school also perished in the blast." He said._

 _"_ _We have found a suitable candidate to teach the next generation of warriors how to fare against the dangers of our world. However, we have yet to find someone who could fill the role of our school's decipherer of ancient codes and texts." The Headmaster said._

 _It took a few moments to realize just what the man was offering. "We could use someone with your expertise. Perhaps you will consider joining the staff at our Huntsmen School?" He asked._

 _A feeling of disbelief started to rise within. I was being interrogated only a couple of hours ago and now I was being offered a job at one of the most prestigious Academies in the whole world._

 _"...Huh?" Was the only response I gave to the man._

 _"Now, I understand that this is a sudden offer. However, I can reassure you that the world will not know about what happened, at least not the true story of what happened on that day. We could use someone of your talents, as we have a position open in our Academy." He said with a serious look._

 _"I can ensure that you're involvement will not be disclosed to anyone outside of this room, all I ask is that you do not pursue this matter any further." However, once I heard the last part of his statement, I stared at the man with a confused expression._

 _Though I merely shook it off before taking a deep breath. "I'll do it," I said before reaching into the pocket of the coat I had in order to pull out the storage unit that held the Combat Program I created._

 ** _"You and I have known one another for a long time, and I would even consider the two of us friends,"_** _I remembered the A.I saying. **"So as your friend, I ask you to move on with the life that you have."**_

 _I thought upon what the program said before eventually coming to a decision as to what I would to next. "There is something that I want to do before we leave though," I said._

 _"Anything is possible." He said in response to the request I made._

 _"Could you let in General Ironwood? There's something I need to ask of him." I said._

 _"...James! You may enter the room now!" Ozpin said, and in response, the General of the Atlas Army came into the room with a rather serious expression on his face. I could see his right hand reaching over to the revolver he had on his belt._

 _"Is something wrong?" He asked in a cautious tone._

 _"At ease. We will not be pressing charges as the true culprit behind the incident has already paid for his crimes with his life." He said in hopes to get a hold of the situation before it got out of hand._

 _"I see. So the madman was indeed behind the tragedy that befell upon the city." He said while moving his hand away from his weapon. "I apologize for the suspicion earlier, though understand that we had to consider all possibilities," Ironwood said._

 _"Don't worry, I understand your reasoning," I said before moving over to face the man in question. "I know I'm not exactly in a position to this, though there is something I want you to have before we part ways," I said._

 _He was confused at first, though once he saw the A.I containment unit, his eyes shot open with surprise. "How did you get this?! I thought all the technology in the facility was abandoned once the incident broke out!" Ironwood said._

 _"It is. Though a friend of mine was able to get this last piece out before things went to hell." I said before pressing the button that released the A.I in question._

 _"This is a Combat Program, the one that was used in the main project to counter the sudden spike in the intellect of the Creatures of Grimm. The one I created for the sole purpose of aiding humanity in war." Once I finished what I had to say, the Artificial Intelligence Unit appeared on the holographic screen that was on the storage unit._

 ** _"Activating main protocols."_** _He said to the surprised Ironwood._

 _Before the General could question the reason as to why I had him in the first place, I held the storage unit out as if I was giving him an offering. "I want you to have him," I said._

 _"...I don't understand." He responded._

 _"Atlas is one of the most Technologically Advanced Societies in the entire world. Not only that though I hear your military is rather present from within the Kingdom, so I'm sure you'll get more use out of this program than I ever could." I said to the man._

 _"...Though are you really willing to give it up? From what Brock told us, you two had a rather close bond with one another." Ironwood said._

 _"Of course I don't want to do this! Though I don't have a choice! It will only have about a week until the systems keeping it running shut down." I shouted. "You have the technology and the minds to repair this unit to peak condition! So I'm giving him to you for his own good!" I said._

 ** _"Hold on."_** _The program said before appearing between the two of us. **"I did not agree to this exchange. I am aware that the time I have in this world is limited, though I have accepted that fact."**_

 _"I told you that I'd find a way to fix you. That I wasn't going to let you die." I said. "Now I have an opportunity to keep that promise I made to you, so you're going with the General to the Kingdom of Atlas. This isn't up for discussion."_

 ** _"Just a moment. Perhaps there is someone in the Kingdom of Vale with this level of expertise."_** _He offered._

 _"That isn't possible," Ironwood said. "Merlot Industries was the only company in Vale that developed Artificial Intelligence Units. However, Atlas has developed some of the most advanced A.I in the entire world." He said._

 ** _"..."_**

 _"I get it. You and I have had some good times in the past. Though I'm not asking you to go." I said. "Deactivate main protocols." The program merely stood there in silence in response to the order._

 _"Now!" I said while the feeling of tears forming started to limit what little speech I had._

 ** _"Understood."_** _He said, and with that, the A.I went back into the containment unit in order to be transported to the Kingdom of Atlas. Once everything was said and done, I held out the container to the General of the Atlas Army._

 _"Take it," I said, though the only response I got from the man was silence ._ _"Now! Before I change my mind" I yelled while doing whatever I could to keep all of the emotions I was feeling in check._

 _A few moments passed until the general to make a decision, though he eventually nodded his head before using his metal hand to grab onto the containment unit. "You made the right choice, even if it was a rather difficult one," Ironwood said as he took the container._

 _"It was good to see you once again, Headmaster Ozpin. I look forward to the student exchange." He said as he walked out of the room with the A.I on his person._

 _Once the door closed, I turned around to face the man himself. "He was right. Sometimes you must let something you love go in order to let it thrive in the world." The man said as he got up from the chair with his cane and mug at hand._

 _"Do you need a minute to yourself?" He asked._

 _I merely sniffled in response before wiping away the tears that were starting to form. "No, I'll be fine," I said with a serious expression._

 _"...Very well. Let's go then." The Headmaster said as he started to walk over towards the door that led to the hallway of the building. I took a deep breath and prepared for the next stage of the life that I had._

 ** _..._**

"So that's what happened once everything was said and done. That's how I got a job at Beacon Academy." Maralyn said as she finished the explanation as to what happened during the aftermath of the plan.

We weren't really sure what else we were supposed to say, as it wasn't exactly the response we were expecting from the woman in question. "So what happened to him? Did he survive once he got to Atlas?!" Brock asked while slamming his hand on the table.

"Don't worry. James got him the maintenance he needed." She said, causing the man to let out a sigh of relief.

However, I still had a few questions to ask the woman before we moved on to the reason we came here in the first place. "If that's the case then why didn't you go and visit him during our trip to Atlas?" I asked.

"We had more pressing matters to attend to. Our main focus was to ensure the safety of the Schnee Family." She responded. "Not only that, James said that he was currently involved in a project from within Doctor Gerome laboratory."

I was about to press her for more information, though the man on the sofa seemed to have had the same idea that I had. "Hold on! Doctor Gerome?!" Brock asked in a completely perplexed tone.

"So who exactly is this guy in the first place?" I asked with a curious expression.

"He's one of the best minds that Atlas has to offer. That man has done the impossible on more than one occasion." The man explained. "He's responsible for the development of the Kingdom's Major Technologies." He said before turning his attention over towards the woman.

"Did Ironwood tell you what exactly Gerome was working on?" Brock asked. "It must be something serious since it involves an A.I unit." The man said, though the woman merely shook her head in response.

"No, most of the details were kept hidden. He said that the project was top-secret and that only two people really know about the truth behind what the Doctor is planning in his laboratory." She answered.

"I guess those two people would be Ironwood and Gerome themselves," Brock said while pinching his chin with his right hand.

"At the moment, that seems to be the case at the moment." She said before clasping her hands together. "However, I think we've strayed off topic a bit. It's time we told you the real reason as to why we are here in the first place."

This caused the man to stare at the Huntress with a rather confused expression. "Not sure I follow," Brock said.

"We need your help, our options here were limited ever since the underground laboratory was destroyed." She said with a serious look on her face. "You got some information from Merlot's Terminal before you left the company."

"I did," Brock said in order to confirm her statement.

"Do you still have that information with you?" Maralyn asked in a hopeful tone.

"...No, I don't have it. I didn't see the point in keeping the information once the city was destroyed." He said, though the woman merely narrowed her eyes at the man in response.

"You kept it when the Two Headmasters questioned you ten years ago." She said.

"That was nearly a decade ago. Besides, you don't even know that Merlot's Terminal had what you were looking for." Brock said with his arms crossed.

"Give us the information and we will see if that's the case," Maralyn said while standing up from the sofa we were sitting down on. In response, the man sat up from the chair he had in the living room.

"I don't have it anymore! Therefore, it would be impossible to give it to you in the first place!" He said.

"Really now? Then show us." She challenged.

"Take it easy. We can always just track the signal of the transmission we saw in the lab." I said in hopes to defuse the situation before it got out of hand. However, the Huntress didn't seem to keen on listening.

"So that's what this is about. You wanted to get the files I pulled from the terminal in hopes that you'd get even a slight clue as to where Victor was." Brock said.

"Oh, now you have it?" Maralyn asked.

"Fine, I do still have the information. Though I can tell you this right now, there isn't anything pointing to the whereabouts of Merlot." He said while clenching his fist into a ball.

"How can you be so sure of that?" She asked.

"I've had the files for nearly ten years now! Do you think I wouldn't have searched the location listed in the files by now?!" Brock said.

I tried to defuse the situation again, though things just seemed to get more and more out of hand as time went on. "You didn't even know the Director was still alive up until today! You had no reason to search for the location!"

"..."

"Calm down will you?!" I said while grabbing onto the shoulder of the Huntress, though she growled in response.

"I won't do this. Not again." Brock said with a serious expression.

"Huh?" We both asked, however, the only reply we got from the man was for him to walk over towards one of the shelves that he had in the living room. He stood in front of it before picking up a framed picture.

"You two can go after that madman. I won't stop you." He said without turning towards us. "Though I have a new life to live now. I have friends and a Kingdom that depends on the machines I make." The man said while placing the portrait on the shelf again.

"I threw away everything ten years ago, I'm not doing it again," Brock said. "You can chase after him all you want, and I do hope you manage to catch Victor. Though I won't be involved in another one of his schemes." He said while turning around to face the two of us.

"..." The Huntress merely stood there in stunned silence before storming off to the exit of the house. I was about to follow the woman outside, though I was quickly stopped before I could.

"Good luck out there. You're gonna need it." He said before returning to the chair that he had in the living room. Once I ran outside the house, I could see the Huntress sitting under a tree that was near her care.

I sighed before walking over to the woman with a disappointed expression. "Can't say that went as planned," I said, though the only response I got from the woman was silence.

"So what do we do now?" I asked.

The woman merely sat there for a few moments before she stood up from underneath the tree. "For now, we focus on hunting down these prototypes." She said as she walked over to the vehicle we had.

"We're able to cover more ground with the help of Headmaster Ozpin." The woman said while opening the front door. "Come on, we have a lot of work to do." The Archeologist said.

I nodded in response before getting into the passenger seat of the car in order to plan our next move when it came to stopping Victor Merlot, as well as his nefarious plans for good.

 _ **...**_

Meanwhile, the members of team CFVY have taken it upon themselves to search through the Kingdom of Vale in hopes to discover clues that could possibly lead them towards the new threats that now roam the world.

Everyone was still rather dazed with the revelations that were revealed earlier, though the team still had a duty to fulfill to the people of this Kingdom. The Brunette Faunus of the group had thought she moved on from the tragedy that befell on the people of Vale all those years ago.

However, with everything that she learned it was hard not to think back on those terrible times. Though she managed to shrug off these sudden feelings that were rising within her in order to focus on the task at hand.

As the team made their way off of the airship, a single question ran through each mind of the members of the Huntsmen and Huntress team. "So where are we going to start our search?" Fox asked as the group started to walk towards the exit to the runways.

"I have a few connections in the Vale Police Force," Coco answered. "Though it's gonna be rather difficult to track down a monster when we can't even disclose what the monster is."

"..." Velvet merely walked beside her team in silence.

"You okay? You've been rather quiet ever since those two left the lobby." The leader of the team said to her teammate while placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. Her head perked up once she felt the sudden physical contact on her shoulder.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry, Coco. Did you say something?" She asked.

"Do you need a moment?" The girl asked.

"No, I'll be fine." Velvet said while shaking her head. "Let's just focus on tracking down these prototypes before anyone else gets hurt." She said in hopes to put the rest of her team at ease.

The blind monk seemed to be satisfied with her answer, however, her partner and the leader of the group were still a little concerned. "Just making sure is all," Coco said as the group continued to walk through the city.

"Oh! That's right, you fought some of these monsters in the rubble of the building. Maybe you could give us something to go off of." She said while turning her head towards her partner.

"Hmm." He hummed while rubbing his chin with his right hand. "Most of them were mutated beyond comprehension. The ones I fought were far more powerful then any foe we have encountered in the past."

"Even the monster from the Town of York?" Fox asked.

"Not the first beast I fought. However, it did not matter how many times I inflicted a fatal blow onto it. It would still be able to fight." He said, though due to the giant's strange speech pattern, the group was a little confused as to what he meant.

"Terribly sorry. I stabbed the beast in the head and yet it was still able to fight."

Everyone in the group stared at the giant with rather surprised expressions and spoke in baffled tones. "That's impossible though! Even some of the most powerful monsters in our world can't shake off a blow like that!" Velvet said.

"We've fought a lot of bad guys though this is a first," Coco said while adjusting the sunglasses she had on her head.

"However, when it sustained enough damage the beast would self-destruct. The explosion threatened the cave in the caverns even further." The giant said with his arms crossed.

"So that's what the explosion during the incident was about. Here I thought the Military was just bombing the city trying to kill that monster." Coco said. "Then again, I guess that would explain why there was only one severely damaged part of the city."

"The first monster was indeed persistent, though once we were able to come up with a strategy, we were able to take it down with our advantage in numbers." The giant said with a serious expression.

"However, the next one we encountered was far too powerful for either of us to face. Our only option was to flee the battle in hopes to live another day." He said, which in turn, caused the rest of the team to stare at the man in an astonished surprised manner.

Yatsuhashi never ran away from a fight, no matter how powerful the foe may have been. "It was only thanks to the aid of Professors Goodwitch, Port and Oobleck that we were able to devise a plan that would put an end to the creatures life."

"That was only a prototype. Hard to imagine what the finished product will be like." Fox said.

"Hopefully we'll never have to find out." Velvet said.

The group continued to walk through the city while thinking about what their next move should be, though the giant spotted someone rather familiar following them at the corner of the giant's eye.

Someone he was dreading to confront ever since he abandoned the banner he fought under. He stopped for a few moments, catching the attention of the rest of the members of team CFVY.

"Is something the matter?" Velvet asked with a curious expression.

"..." The giant didn't respond to his partner's question, as he was too focused on how to handle the situation without causing trouble from within the city.

"Hey!" Coco said with her voice raised, bringing the man back to reality. He seemed rather dazed, though he was able to regain what little composure he had left in order to avoid suspicion.

"Oh, do not worry. You all move ahead, I shall meet up with all of you shortly." He said as he started to walk away. "There is something that I need to attend to." The man explained as he started to walk in the direction where he last saw the familiar face.

The group stood there in a confused manner due to the behavior of the giant, however, it was eventually Velvet who spoke up amongst the silence. "Come on, we should focus on putting a stop to Merlot." She said while walking in the opposite direction of her partner.

As much as she wanted to go after the giant, she knew that pursuing this manner any further would only do more harm than good. So for the time being, she would put her trust in the partner she had fought side by side with for nearly a year now.

While the rest of the team started to walk through the city of Vale, Yatsuhashi walked over towards the familiar face with a serious expression. He caught another glimpse at the person in the alleyway next to a store.

Once he was prepared for the inevitable confrontation, the giant started to walk towards the pathway while preparing himself for the worst. "I did not expect to see you soon." The man said once he felt the presence of the person.

"When they said you had gone rogue from our cause, I didn't want to believe them. I had hoped you would come back to our ranks one day." A female voice said. "Though now I see the truth."

The girl in question had similar brown hair to that of the giant, though she did have a lighter skin tone and was significantly smaller than the average person. "You've betrayed us, Brother."

"Mochi," Yatsuhashi said to his blood sister. "I had hoped you would be able to move on. That you and I would not have to have this confrontation." The giant said with a saddened expression.

"I knew you had questioned orders in the past, though I never thought you'd lower yourself to this level." She said. "You were once a proud member of the White Fang, one that many looked up to."

"Abandoning our brothers and sisters was not an easy task. However, I cannot continue to endanger the lives of innocents to achieve our misguided goals." The giant said with a stern tone.

"...I don't even know where to begin with that." She said while pacing around in circles. "Innocent? You call the Schnee Family innocent? You laid down your life to protect one of them, you fought against your own brothers and sisters!"

"The sins of the father are not passed down to his kin." He said. "I will not take the lives of two innocent children."

"You let the Schnee Family live, and now they will only do more harm to our kind than ever before!" She said. "You call our goals misguided, though I fail to see how fighting for the rights of our species is misled."

"We were once a peaceful organization. Our goals were to prove to the world that we were not savages. However, ever since Sienna Khan was put into power, we have only proven to the world that we are just as violent as history has painted us to be." The giant countered.

This only seemed to further anger the sister of the man. "Violent? The humans have beaten us down, treated us like animals for as long as anyone can remember. We're only fighting back against our attackers!"

"It doesn't have to be that way though!" He said in hopes to get through to his younger sibling.

However, nothing he said seemed to get through to his sister. "It's been that way for as long as any of us can remember! Though this time we're fighting back! We're showing mankind that we are not animals!" She said.

"Ghira would not have wanted this. This was not the vision he had on the day he founded the White Fang!" Yatsuhashi said.

"Even his own daughter has turned away from that path! Sienna Khan has done more good for our kind in two years while Ghira couldn't even do a fraction of what she's done in the decade he was in power!" She said.

"Our only targets were the Schnees. No one else had to die that day!"

"Fighting back against humanity was the reason our kind was freed from the mines in the first place!" She said.

"How many do you think perished on that day?! Not just the innocent humans who fought to protect the citizens of Atlas, though the ones who were lost in the mines!" He yelled while slamming his fist onto the stone wall, causing a few cracks to appear.

"Don't think we didn't mourn those who died during the battle! Though we have already buried our fallen, while the soldiers who fought to protect the Kingdom were thrown to the side like trash." She said.

"...What would brother have to say? Do you think he would be proud of what you fight for?!" He asked.

The young girl stared at her brother with a look of absolute malice on her. "Don't you dare bring brother into this! It's because of the humans that he lost his life! Do you think he'd be proud that you're fighting alongside the humans?!"

"I believe he would not want us to take the lives of those who do not deserve it!" He said. "He fought to protect his family! He was honorable to his last breathe! What honor do you hold?!"

"Enough!" Mochi shouted while slamming her foot onto the ground. "This isn't going anywhere! You're an enemy to the White Fang, and you know what we do to those who abandon our cause!"

The man merely stood there with a serious look before speaking up to his sister. "I left our brothers and sisters because I can no longer continue to toss aside what I believe in order to carry our Sienna Khan's will." He said.

"However." The giant got on his knees while closing his eyes. "I will not fight you. We are siblings, and to have your blood on this blade will only bring misfortune onto us both. You may draw your sword, though only expect to carry out an execution, not wage a battle."

Mochi stood there in stunned silence while staring at her elder brother. Despite being on his knees, she was only able to meet him eye to eye with how stunted her growth was in her youth.

However. after a few moments passed, the man looked up in order to face his younger sister, though he was only met with the darkness of the alleyway. He let out a sigh as he stood up from the stone ground with a rather saddened expression.

The giant knew that he would eventually have to confront his sister, though no longer did she see them as brother and sister, rather now she saw them as enemies who needed to fight one another.

Despite that, he would not fight his own sibling, no matter what the circumstances were.

He exhaled heavily before leaving the stone passage in order to meet up with his friends as he had promised. The man may have abandoned his brothers and sisters, though now he finds himself with a new family to defend.

Though as Yatsuhashi started to walk down the streets of Vale, he failed to notice his sister standing on the rooftops of the buildings in Vale. She stared down at her brother with a frustrated look, though she couldn't bring herself to fight.

She was about to head back to the base, though before she could move she could hear someone's voice coming from the communicator she had. The White Fang used old communication tech, as it was harder to track the source.

 _"This is a message to all members of the White Fang. An assassin has been issued out in order to hunt down and kill the traitor that abandoned us on the day we freed our brothers and sisters from the mines."_ The voice said from the other side of the communicator. _"He was once a proud member of our cause, though now he stands against us in our battle for freedom."_

The girl stood there in silence as she wasn't sure what to do in this situation. She wanted to warn her brother of the oncoming assassin, though doing so would surely bring more trouble to her.

She clenched the device before placing it back into her pocket. The sister of the giant turned around to face her brother one last time before heading back to her base of operations.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus, another chapter of our story comes to a close. Our two heroes set out to the City of Vale in order to reunite with an old friend that played a part in the events of the Massacre of Mountain Glenn.**_

 _ **While at first, the meeting was rather touching and heartwarming, a story of how the Huntress was forced to give up one of her most treasured friends damped the mood.**_

 _ **However, the duo did not seek out the man for the sake of catching up on old times, rather he was one of the few options left to them when it came to locating Victor Merlot.**_

 _ **Much to the dismay of the group, the man was not willing to give away such information willingly, as he was not willing to get involved with yet another one of the man's schemes.**_

 _ **The only hope the group had left was to put trust into the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. Though Victor Merlot isn't the only threat that looms above our heroes.**_

 _ **Some of the prototypes still roam the world and threaten the lives of the people of the Kingdom. Perhaps even the citizens of Vacuo might be in danger, as both kingdoms reside on the same continent.**_

 _ **Though on the other side of our story, the giant has a rather bitter reunion with his dear younger sister. However, despite being on different sides of the battle, the eldest of the duo refused to wage combat with his sister.**_

 _ **Fortunately, the youngest sibling could not bring herself to take the life of her brother that she once looked up to.**_

 _ **Just as things were about to calm down, a message was sent out to the members of the White Fang. An assassin has been sent out in order to take the life of the traitor, putting Mochi in a rather dire dilemma.**_

 _ **However, that is a story for another time.**_

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: Got No Gun.**_


	17. Got No Gun

_**The Story so Far... Once the truth of what happened during the Massacre of Mountain Glenn was revealed to the group, everyone went out in hopes to find more clues that could possibly lead them to the whereabouts of Victor Merlot.**_

 _ **Our two heroes sought the aid of an old friend in hopes that he would be able to point them in the right direction. He was the one who was able to uncover the horror behind the Doctor's experiments in the first place.**_

 _ **Unfortunately for the duo, the man was not so keen on disclosing this information as he did not want to be involved with yet another scheme hatched by the madman in question.**_

 _ **On the other side of our story, the giant had a rather tense confrontation with his younger sister. Though despite the tension between the two siblings, the eldest refused to wage combat with the young girl in question.**_

 _ **Little did the man know however that he was now the target of a rather skilled assassin. The man has fought in quite the number of battles over the year, though facing this one particular man, in particular, would prove to be quite the challenge.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Got No Gun**_

It's been about a month since the group escaped from Mountain Glenn, and so far the trail on Victor Merlot has gone cold. Nobody knew the reason behind the explosion, though since everybody who knew about what happened down there was told to keep the truth a secret from the general public, things managed to return to normal.

The Academy has been doing whatever it could to track down these mutated abominations in order to prevent the madman from causing more devastation on the world. Such a task is easier said than done though, as it was rather difficult to send out the three instructors on such short notice.

Headmaster Ozpin needed to take the utmost caution when planning out each move, as too bold of a play would surely alert the High Council. The explosion from last month caused quite the stir amongst its members, and it took quite a bit on the Headmasters part in order to avert suspicion away from the ruined city.

Locating these mutated creatures proved to be quite the challenge, though a few have been eliminated before further damages could be made to the Kingdom of Vale. However, the Professors of the Academy could not rest as long as Victor Merlot's experiments still roamed this world.

Meanwhile, the students involved with the recent battles can only locate the whereabouts of these creatures in hopes to aid in the conflict against the madman himself. There were some who desired to go to the front lines of this clash in hopes to make a difference.

Despite the hearts of the youthful students being in the right place, these abominations were much stronger then anyone could have anticipated. Two of the staff members would set out on this hunt, as throwing one of them into such a situation all alone would be quite the challenge.

However, not all of the members of the Huntsmen team desired to stand on the front lines of the battle. Yatsuhashi Daichi was more focused on the White Fang ever since his betrayal in the Kingdom of Atlas.

As much as it pained the man to abandon his former brothers and sister, he could not throw away his core values in order to carry out the will of the new High Leader. He made his choice though, there was no going back to the way things once were.

Though the movement was not merciful towards those who would abandon the cause, not since High Leader Sienna Khan was put into power two years ago.

Soon after his betrayal, the Vale District of the White Fang hired someone from the criminal underworld in order to track down and kill the traitor. This boy was named Mercury Black, one of the right hands to the False Maiden.

However, despite hearing such great things about the skill and experience the assassin had, the Leader of the Vale District of the White Fang was less than satisfied with the progress he's made.

Which brings us to the man in question, who was currently walking through the halls of the base in the Forever Fall Forest in order to confront the human about the assignment he was given.

His footsteps echoed throughout the hallways of the base, though it came to a sudden stop once he found himself standing in front of the door leading to the inside of the room of the assassin.

On the other hand, Mercury was currently sitting on a sofa in the center of the room with a stack of papers in his hands. He shuffled through the papers with a serious expression plastered onto his face, though he was brought back reality once he heard the door to open.

The hitman sighed before turning around in order to face the Leader of the Vale Branch of the White Fang. "Something you need?" He asked while placing the stack of papers onto the wooden table in front of the sofa.

"It's been one month since you were tasked with hunting down the traitor." He said as he closed the door with his left hand.

"Just what do you think I've been doing all this time?" Mercury asked as he leaned on the cushions of the sofa he was sitting on.

"You were tasked with tracking down our former brother once he betrayed us in Atlas not to sit here and yet here you are, lounging about as the assassin roams free in the Kingdom." The man said while gripping onto the sheath his weapon tightly.

"Look, this isn't exactly something that can happen overnight you know." The boy said as he stood up while holding the papers in his hand. "You see this? I haven't exactly been sitting around all day doing nothing."

The man grasped onto the papers before reading what was scribbled on the pages. "Things needed to be handled subtly. You need this deserter killed and I need to keep a low profile according to the boss."

"Killing some CEO or Corporate Scum is one thing, though assassinating a student from one of the Four Huntsmen Academies is rather challenging to say the least," Mercury said with his arms crossed.

"You wanted the best and that's exactly what you're getting, though this is the kind of attention that the boss has specifically asked us to avoid." He said in hopes the man will understand the situation he's in.

"Do you expect us to trust someone who we do not even know the name of?" Adam asked while gripping onto the sheath of his sword tightly.

"You don't need to trust us. All you have to do is just listen to orders. Try to understand the bigger picture here." He said, however, before he could attempt to intimidate the man as he did with the rest of the Fang, the Leader spoke up before he could.

"No! It is you who needs to understand something! We are not some guns for hire! We are a force of revolution who will release the shackles that humanity has placed upon us!" He yelled.

"The only reason we even agreed to aid you was that our goals are one and the same! Do not believe for a second that this makes us brothers in arms!" Adam said as he slammed his fist onto the wooden table in the center of the room.

"Is that right? Then why don't you have one of your so-called brothers or sisters hunt down this traitor? That's how things were done in the past." Mercury said with a growl in his tone.

The Leader merely sighed in hopes to regain his composure. "Because despite the unyielding hatred I feel towards you, I am still willing to work together in order to accomplish this plan." He said while placing the papers onto the wooden table.

"However, others do not feel the same way. It wounds the pride of this organization that we have agreed to fight alongside you in this revolution. You do not understand that our forces are not ready to die for you in order to achieve a common goal."

"Perhaps hunting down this traitor will encourage the others to look past these feelings of malice in order to achieve a common goal," Adam explained to the hitman.

The assassin merely nodded his head in order to tell the man that he understood this plan of his. "Though now I am not so sure that this plan I have hatched was such a good idea in the first place." The Leader said.

"We have only ever asked one thing of you and yet you have failed to accomplish this one task. So now things have changed." He said as he held up his index finger.

"One week. That is all I will give you. You fail to complete this task and I will have one of the Elites handle the situation and you will get nothing." The man said to the assassin. "You were said to be one of the best." The Leader of the Fang said before turning around to face the metal door.

"Do the job or I will have someone whom I can trust do it for you." The assassin clenched his fist before proceeding to walk over towards the man in order to confront him about this sudden change of terms.

Though before he could say his piece to the Leader of the Vale Branch, the sight of the blood red blade being unsheathed filled the room with an unsettling silence. "Do your job. You will not be asked a third time." He said before leaving Mercury to stand there in stunned silence.

He growled for a bit before sitting down on the sofa in the center of the room in order to go through the documents he had on the table.

"Guess that went badly." The sound of a familiar voice said just as the assassin was about to plan his next course of action. He turned to his left to see his partner, Emerald Sustrai at the front door with a rather serious expression.

"..." He merely sat there in silence without even turning around to face his partner.

"Silence. Never thought I'd see the day." She said as she sat down on the other of the sofa.

"Do you mind? I'm a little busy." Mercury said before grasping onto one of the papers with his free hand. His eyes started to dart back and forth between the two documents of information.

"You still working on tracking down that traitor?" Emerald asked with one of her eyebrows raised.

"Money is money. So how about you help out for a change?" He said as he placed some of the pages onto the table while picking up a few to go over once more.

Emerald glared at her partner, as she didn't appreciate the attitude he was giving her. "I'm just trying to make conversation. No need to be so hostile." She said to her partner, causing him to let out a sigh as he turned to face her directly.

"Right. What did you want to talk about?" Mercury asked.

"...I did ask you a question earlier." She said.

"No, I'm not working on tracking down this traitor because I already know where he is." He said as he showed the girl a slip of paper with a picture of the man. "The problem lies in taking him down in the first place. He's a student of the Huntsmen Academy."

She turned her gaze away from the page in order to stare at her partner with a rather perplexed look. "Why did you take this job in the first place? You know what the boss told us when we were assigned to Vale in the first place!"

"I didn't know he was even involved with the school in the first place until I did some research." He explained. "That's why this whole job has taken as long as it has, I've been trying to come up with a plan that won't put the operation at risk."

Emerald merely started to rub the bridge of her nose in hopes to prevent another headache from surfacing. "At least your taking caution." She said.

"I know where he is and where he'll be going within the next three days." He said.

His partner merely looked at him with a rather confused expression as she wasn't necessarily sure what he meant by that.

"Once I dug deep enough I learned of a plan he crafted that will help him keep track of the White Fang's movements. I've got a location down and everything." Mercury said while showing his partner the plan he had mapped out.

"Right. So when exactly does this one plan to initiate his plan?" The girl asked.

"In the next seventy-two hours. So I've got time to prepare for the confrontation." The assassin said.

"There's only one problem. I need to make this whole thing look like an accident, otherwise, the public will get suspicious of what really happened." He said with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

"Right and how exactly are you planning to do that?" Emerald asked.

A few moments of silence passed before the girl got a response from her partner. "We live in a world filled with monsters so it wouldn't be too hard to sell the story that this guy kicked the bucket thanks to some freak of nature out in the woods."

"Hmm, I suppose that would work." She said before turning her attention away from the assassin.

He sighed before turning his attention towards the stack of papers that he had piled up on the wooden table. "...What do you make of all this?" The mint themed girl merely stared at him with confusion.

"I think you should have done research like this before you took the job," Emerald said.

"That's not what I meant." He said as he started to look around in case there were any potential eavesdroppers. "I'm talking about the bosses plan. The one she has for the Kingdom of Vale."

"You're asking this now?" She asked. "I have faith in our boss, maybe you should have a little belief as well."

"What exactly are you saying? I'd say I'm fairly loyal given what little we know about the plain in the first place." Mercury said. "War will be unleashed in the days following the Vytal Festival.

"I know you still talk to that one kid we met a few months ago." She said.

"So that's what this is about? I'm not plotting against the boss, I'm just prepared is all." He explained.

"Prepared for what? You make it sound like we'll be betrayed at the end of this." Emerald said while narrowing her eyes at her partner. "She has no reason to betray us, she said we were invaluable to the cause."

"Right, and what happens when we aren't invaluable? Once everything is said and done do you think she'll keep us around purely for the company?" Mercury asked with his arms crossed.

"...We're not having this argument again." She said while turning away from the assassin. "You and I were recruited for a reason, and I for one am glad that someone actually gives a damn for a change."

"Right." He said with a bitter tone.

"So how exactly are you and I going to make this guy's death look like an accident?" Emerald asked.

"No, I'm going to take this guy down. You are going to make sure none of the members of the White Fang decide to intervene." Mercury said as he got up from the couch he was sitting on.

The thief merely sighed while rubbing the temples of her eyes with her right hand. "Do you really think it's a good idea to do this on your own?" She asked.

"Who do you think you're talking to? I've killed tougher opponents. Besides, the members of this organization are too prideful, I doubt I'll even get a day before someone goes after him." The assassin explained.

"...Just make sure you don't draw any more attention to yourself. The boss won't exactly be happy with how much of a stir we've caused in the past few months." His partner said.

"Don't worry. I've been planning this hunt for nearly a month now." He said.

With that, Mercury made his way over to the Kingdom of Vale in order to hunt down the traitor, though Emerald had suspected that the job would bring more trouble on the duo in the near future.

 _ **...**_

It's been rather quiet ever since the incident at the underground laboratory and talk about the explosion from the mountain started to die down a little as time went on.

There hasn't been a single word on Victor Merlot's whereabouts and the prototypes were still roaming around in the world. The staff over at the school was doing everything that could possibly be done in order to put an end to this madness.

However, some people had more pressing manners to attend to in the midst of all of this. Nobody else knew about Yatsuhashi's past affiliations with the White Fang as far as either of us was aware, though recently I could notice that there was a visible tension on the man's shoulders.

I couldn't blame him though, an organization that spans throughout all four of the kingdom wanted his head. There was nowhere to run, he'd be hunted as long as the movement was still around.

On the other hand, the giant was rather safe as long as he was a student at a Huntsmen School. At least until the day's following the Vytal Festival come around, though I'll be long gone when that happens.

Before I could get settled on the couch in the living room, I could hear a knock coming from the front door of the house. I got up from the sofa and opened the door in order to greet the person on the other side.

"Hello," Yatsuhashi said while standing on the front porch to the house. "Do you have a moment? I need to speak to you about something of the utmost importance."

"...How do you know I live here?" I asked as I don't ever recall telling him this information.

"Where else would you be staying?" He answered with a question of his own.

"Fair enough," I said while moving to the side in order to allow the giant to enter the house. "So what do you need to talk about?" I questioned just as he leaned down in order to avoid bumping his head on the door frame.

"It's about the White Fang." He said with a serious expression.

As soon as I heard that I looked out the front door to make sure that the giant was followed, and once I was certain we were alone I closed the wooden entrance. "So what happened?" I asked.

"That's just the thing. Over the past month, I have not heard a single word from the organization." Yatsuhashi said with his arms crossed.

"How is that a bad thing though? Isn't it good that no one has tried to kill you?" I asked.

In response, the man merely shook his head. "No, it's rather suspicious. Ever since High Leader Sienna Khan was put into power, the movement was ruthless towards those who would betray their brothers and sisters."

"You are a student at a Huntsmen School. I doubt you could just fall off the face of this planet without someone noticing." I said. "I think you're just reading to deep into the situation. You should be grateful that the White Fang hasn't sent anyone out."

"Perhaps you are right. However, the whole scenario seems very suspicious and it is a feeling I cannot shake away." Yatushashi said.

"So what do you think is wrong?" I questioned.

"The Prototypes are still running amuck throughout the Kingdom. It is possible that the base of operations has been overtaken by one of these monsters." He said while pinching his chin with his right hand.

"So what exactly do you plan on doing then? You can't exactly just go and check on the main base, it'd be a suicide mission." I said. "Speaking of which, where is the main base of Vale's White Fang?"

The man merely shook his head in response. "I'm terribly sorry. I cannot tell you this information." He answered. "Though I might have turned away from the cause I will not doom the family I once had."

"Don't worry about it," I said to the man in hopes to calm his nerves.

"You are correct. Going back to the base would surely be a death sentence. However, I do believe I've come up with a plan that will allow us to keep track of their movements in the near future." Yatsuhashi said as he sat down on the sofa in the living room.

"Go on," I responded.

The man proceeded to pull out a map of the city and its surrounding area from within the bag he had strapped onto his shoulder. "The organization uses old communications equipment. In this warehouse just outside of the capital is a radio that can listen in on every channel the Vale District uses."

"How old are we talking here?" I questioned.

"Most of the tech we used are from before the Great War, with the exception of the weaponry we use." The giant explained.

"So how do we even know this thing works in the first place?!" I asked. "Not only that but what in the world are you doing with such outdated equipment in the first place?" I questioned while crossing my arms.

"We use these devices to avoid detection." He answered. "I am not certain on whether or not this radio will still be functioning without getting the proper maintenance for as long as it has, though I do believe that Velvet will be more than happy to fix it."

"You're not worried she'll find out?" I asked

The man merely shook his head in response. "Right. So you said that this machine hasn't gotten the proper maintenance for a long time. How come nobody has bothered to fix this thing?" I pointed out.

"The warehouse was abandoned for quite a bit of time. The building holds outdated weaponry and utilities, as such, it was abandoned ten years ago. However, the organization has left a vital piece of technology." He said with a smirk.

"You seem pretty certain that this place is completely abandoned," I said while staring at the man with a skeptic look.

"Very few members in the Vale District of the White Fang are even aware of this warehouse. I discovered it during the final stage of the entrance exam so it wouldn't be likey for the movement to search through a warehouse within the school's territory." He said.

"However, it would not be impossible for the organization to set out an ambush within the repository. As a matter of fact, I encountered a sister of mine during the final stages of the entrance exam."

"...Your biological sister or...?" I began.

"Sister in arms. A girl named Ilia Amitola, we were quite close up until the incident in the Kingdom of Atlas." Yatsuhashi said.

"Clearly she didn't share the same sentiment seeing as how easily she turned on you," I said.

"...I suppose you're right. She was more interested in Belladonna to bother with the bonds she shared with her own brothers and sisters." The giant said as he closed his eyes with a serious expression.

It took everything I had not to mention Blake's name. "You mean Ghira Belladonna? I'm not one too judge though that age gap is pretty large. Hold on, wasn't the guy married as well? Guess everyone has skeletons in their closets." I said.

"Huh? Oh! No, I did not mean the former High Leader!" Yatsuhashi said while waving his hands around wildly. "He had a daughter! Blake Belladonna!" He said in hopes to gain control over the situation.

"Daughter? I knew he had a wife though the books never said anything about children." I said.

"You can thank the man himself for that. He did not want the world to be aware of his precious child ever since she refused to leave the White Fang." The giant explained as he regained his composure.

"So Ghira and...?" I stopped mid-sentence as the name of his wife slipped away.

"Kali Belladonna." He said.

"Right, so those two left the White Fang?" I questioned.

"Correct." He responded.

"Though Blake is still a member of the organization?" I asked, to which the man merely nodded his head in response. "I doubt that went over well with the family," I commented.

"No, it did not. She was wrought with so much shame that she abandoned her family name. Blake would get quite agitated when one would refer to her as Belladonna." The man said with his arms crossed.

Guess everyone has a little family drama from time to time. "One more thing, I thought the school had cameras all around the Emerald Forest. How were you able to speak with Ilia without alerting the Headmaster?" I asked.

"She is a Chameleon Faunus. As such she is able to blend in with the colors of her surroundings. Not only that though the cameras only provide a visual feed of the events going on in the forest." He explained.

"That being said, I do not believe that the organization would be foolish enough to set up an ambush so close to the Huntsmen School, as going anywhere near the territory would surely be a death sentence," Yatsuhashi said.

"Got it. Once you get the radio, bring it here and we can figure out what we need to do next." I said.

"Your assistance would be much appreciated," Yatsuhashi said. "The forest is filled with various monsters. Not only that though there is the possibility that one of the prototypes would emerge within the repository." He explained with a serious expression.

"Do not be mistaken, I am not keen on engaging in combat with yet another one of these abominations, not since the incident at Mountain Glenn. However, we cannot sit idly by as these beasts scour the land for all it's worth." The giant stated.

I merely sat there in silence for a few moments before giving the man an answer. "So when do we head out?" I asked.

"Three days. Perhaps this will give us enough time to prepare." He said.

So at most, we had seventy-two hours to prepare for the trip to the Emerald Forest. "We should leave at noon."

"Very well, I shall see you in three days. I trust that you will be prepared." Yatsuhashi said with a rather serious expression. "Now, I should be off. We have quite a bit of work to do." He said before leaving the house.

Meanwhile, a group of prospectors had decided to make take on the Emerald Forest in hopes to search for items that could be sold to the highest bidder. The Forest was home to a wide amount of valuable objects.

This made it quite popular to scavengers and prospectors, though it was for this very reason that Beacon Academy closed it off to the general public. Many of the monsters that resided within the Forest were deemed to be too dangerous for just a mere hunter.

However, this did not stop this group of scroungers from searching the forest in hopes to attain a profit. "Are you sure we should even be here? I mean, this place is sealed off for a reason you know." A short man with a large brown bag over his shoulder asked.

"Don't worry about it. People come through here all the time in order to travel to the capital city!" A bearded man said.

"How many of them actually make it out though?" He asked.

"You worry too much! Though we won't even be around for very long!" He said with a shotgun in his hand. "The warehouse is just up here! I heard there are some pieces of technology from before the war!"

The duo continued to walk through the forest until they eventually reached the repository that held all of the technology from before the war. It looked rather old and run down though it was still standing even after all this time.

"Looks like we're here." He said as he proceeded to walk on over towards the entrance of the warehouse.

The partner of the man was about to follow him into the building, though he stopped himself the second he heard some strange noise echo from the facility. "Did you hear that?" He questioned.

"Hear what?" The bearded man asked.

"..."

"Something the matter?" He was certain that he had heard something coming from the inside of the facility. "Hey!" The man shouted, causing the man to snap out of the daze he was in.

"Oh, it was nothing. We should go in now. I've got everything ready." He said while getting his bag ready.

The larger of the duo was concerned with the behavior of the man, though he merely shrugged it off before continuing his treck towards the warehouse. Once the two stood in front of the building, the bearded man noticed something rather off.

"Hmm, this is strange." He said.

"Is something wrong?" The man with the bag asked, though the man merely walked over towards the broken chains that were supposed to keep the warehouse sealed off from the public.

"Take a look at this." In response, his partner walked over towards where the man was kneeling.

"So what exactly are we supposed to be looking for here?" He asked.

With his right hand, the man picked up the chains in order to show it to his partner. "These are the chains that are supposed to keep this placed sealed off." The bearded man said.

"...You're right! Though how come they're on the ground like this?" He asked.

"That's not the issue here. What you should be asking is why they're all chewed up like this." The man said.

Suddenly, the noise the man with the bag heard echoed from the facility once again. Both men stood there in silence for a few moments, it was clear that they were not alone in this forest.

In response, the man with the beard readied his shotgun in order to confront whatever it was that made that noise. However, once the two prospectors caught sight at what made that noise, fear paralyzed them.

The sound of metal scraping against a hard surface could be heard from within the facility, though scavengers could only see the shadow of the creature from within the darkness.

Without so much as a second thought, the two ran out into the forest in hopes to lose the strange creature that was in the warehouse. The screams of the men could be heard throughout the forest as the duo ran from the scene.

Only a single thought ran through the minds of the duo during the escape.

That creature was no mere monster that roamed these lands.

 ** _..._**

 _Seventy-Two Hours Later_

We could hear the birds flapping their wings as the two of us continued to make our way through the Emerald Forest. The giant was carrying a large bag over his right shoulder with his blade attached to the side of the pack.

I was holding the map that would help us navigate through the forest. The sun shone through the trees of the woods and the area was bustling with various kinds of peaceful wildlife.

The two of us decided to make our way through the sea of trees at noon in order to avoid encounters with the dangerous monsters that lurk through these woods. The night was when creatures were most active and the monsters would just be starting to head towards the caves in the morning.

Not that either of us believed we wouldn't be able to handle whatever this forest throws at us, though we were more focused on retrieving the radio. When the monsters of this world weren't constantly trying to tear you apart the woods were actually quite nice.

It took us quite a bit of time, though we eventually found ourselves at the warehouse that Yatshashi saw in the initiation eight months ago. However, before we could make our way over towards the building we noticed something off.

"So I don't suppose that the warehouse was opened during the initiation," I said while turning to face the giant.

"Come, something is wrong." He said as he pulled out the blade he had on his bag. "This is rather peculiar. I was certain that no one in the White Fang was aware of the warehouse's existence."

Before either of us could continue to investigate the scene, the sound of something metallic crashing to the ground could be heard coming from within the building. "You stay out here. I'm going to see who made that noise." I said before I pulled out Shade's Blade.

Though before I could even step inside of the warehouse I could feel Yatsuhashi grasp onto one of my shoulders. "Hold on. Shouldn't I be the one to go in? You do not have an aura to protect you." He said.

"I don't carry around heavy weaponry wherever I go so I will make less noise. The enemy won't even notice they're being watched until it's too late." I countered while pointing at the massive blade the giant carried around.

"...Very well. Do be careful though, we do not know what we are going up against." He warned.

With that, I pulled out a flashlight that I had in the travel bag I had before walking into the building in order to investigate the source of the noise, leaving the giant to guard the front gates of the warehouse.

Yatsuhashi sat there with his blade over his shoulder while staring at the grass beneath him. Various thoughts were going through his mind as he gripped the handle of the weapon tightly.

The voices of his former brothers and sisters echoed throughout his head on the day he betrayed them in the Kingdom of Atlas. However, his head shot up once he heard the sound of a branch snapping in the distance.

"..." He stared over in the direction of the noise with his blade ready for battle. "Show yourself and I promise no harm will come to you!" Yatsuhashi shouted.

A few moments of silence passed until a boy walked out with a rather smug expression on his face. "You know, I have been looking forward to this little confrontation for the past month." He said with his hands clasped together.

"Do we know each other?" The giant asked while circling the strange individual.

"No, though I've heard a lot about you. Yatsuhashi Daichi. The White Fang rogue who betrayed his brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of Atlas." He said while walking rather casually.

The man in question merely glared at the human while gripping onto his blade tightly. "Who are you?" He asked.

"Mercury Black." He responded.

He was intrigued by his family name as he was certain that he had heard it before. "Mercury. You and I do not have to fight. Perhaps there is a peaceful resolution to this conflict." Yatsuhashi offered.

"Money is money. The Leader of the White Fang offered quite a bit of it for your head." He said, which in turn caused the man to freeze in place.

"No that cannot be. You were hired by the Vale District?!" The man asked. "That does not make any sense though! Why did they not send one of the members of the Elites?!" At this point, the man was completely bewildered by the situation.

"I guess you weren't given this information before you left." The assassin said. "Your leader made a deal with an associate of mine once everyone came back from the capital."

"That can't be true! Taurus would never have made a deal with humans! It would wound the pride of the organization!" He shouted as he refused to believe the words coming from the assassin.

However, the boy merely pulled something that sent shivers down the spine of the man. It was the banner that was given to hitmen who would track down the traitors of the White Fang. The assassin stood there in silence for a few moments before putting the piece of cloth back into his front pocket.

"No. It just cannot be true." He said quietly.

"It took quite a bit of convincing before the movement accepted the offer. The boss said that it would be beneficial for both parties involved." Mercury said.

The giant merely stood there in silence as he took in the words of the hitman before him. He wanted to believe that he was lying, he truly did, though there was no possible way he would have that tag and know the meaning behind it.

"Beneficial for both parties? Are you even aware of what Taurus even wants?" Yatsuhashi asked.

"No, can't say I care though. Not like it will matter in the grand scheme of things." He said to the man who merely slammed his blade into the ground.

"You know nothing of the intentions of that man. He does not seek to be equal to mankind. He wishes to wipe it off the face of this earth!" He roared at the assassin in front of him. "Now you say that you answer to someone with similar intentions? You would fight against your own people?!"

"Humanity has been nothing but trouble." He said.

"Then I cannot allow you to leave this forest! You will not be allowed to carry out this dastardly plan of yours!" Yatsuhashi shouted as he readied his weapon for battle. "Now prepare yourself for battle!"

"Dastardly? You sound like the boss." Mercury said while getting into his combat position. "This shouldn't take long."

However, before the two could engage in combat, the sound of a familiar voice cut the two off. "What are you shouting about?! Are you trying to attract attention to us or what?!" The voice asked.

Both parties froze in place for vastly different reasons.

Yatsuhashi did not want to involve the voice in this confrontation as it would surely bring about more trouble. Mercury, on the other hand, recognized the voice of the person he had met all those months ago.

"...Oh. It's you." He said while staring at the assassin in question.

"I have a name you know!" The boy barked out.

"Hold on. You two know one another?!" Yatsuhashi asked, bewildered that his friend would involve himself with such a person. His anger turned into confusion as he wasn't sure what to make of this situation.

"We met a couple of months ago. A month later we went on a job together." Brandon said with his arms crossed. "What in the hell is going on out here? How come you two are at each other's throats?" He asked.

Seeing as he had no other option available to him, he decided to tell him the truth. "I was hired to take down your friend here. He's a traitor to the Vale District of the White Fang." He said while pointing at the traitor in question.

Brandon made an internal note that the deal between the False Maiden and the Leader of the Vale District of the White Fang was just made for however long Mercury held this contract.

"Seems strange that the White Fang would hire a human. Especially the Vale District." He said.

"Indeed. The one this one answers to aid Taurus in his quest to wipe out humanity!" Yatsuhashi said as he scowled at the man in question.

"Hold on! Why in the hell would I want to kill all of mankind?! I don't know if you've noticed though I'm one of the humans that he wants to wipe out!" Mercury shouted at the man.

"You seemed to be quite keen on the idea before." He said.

"I said humanity has been nothing but trouble! That doesn't mean I'm about to throw down the life I have just so we can get these god damn people to cooperate!" He shouted.

Yatsuhashi growled before grasping onto the collar of the assassin.

Though before the two could engage in combat, the figure of Shade pushed the two away from one another with great force. "Mercury." The boy said as he turned his head to face the assassin.

"I get it. This is just a job to you. Though he's a friend." He said with a serious expression.

"Get out of the way. I'm not gonna kill you." The hitman warned.

"How come? We barely even know each other. As far as I'm aware the only time we've ever spoken to each other was for business reasons." Brandon said while staring at the assassin curiously.

"Because you're...!" He began, though the sound of a sudden growl coming from within the building cut the conversation short.

Yatsuhashi and Mercury were quickly silenced once the noise reached their ears. "Though we can deal with this whole thing later. Right now we need to focus on more pressing matters." He said while he made his way over towards the entrance to the warehouse.

Before the two could question the boy as to what he meant by that, he merely motioned for the two to follow him. "How much do you two know about monsters?" He asked while standing in front of the gates leading to the warehouse.

It took a moment for the two to regain the composure necessary to answer the question. "I have a fair grasp of the types of creatures in this world. As it is the duty of a Huntsmen to know what threats lie in this world."

This caused Mercury to roll his eyes at the man's response. "Can't say I know anything other than the basics. Most the time I'm told to deal with other people not some freak of nature."

Yatsuhashi glared at the assassin though held his tongue none the less. "You know of any monster that can do that?" He asked while pointing the flashlight on a rather unsettling sight.

The two froze in place once the concerns of the boy were made clear. "...What happened here?" Mercury asked as he stared at the damaged metal that was within the facility.

However, it wasn't like the usual damage one would see from within the industrial district of the Kingdom. There were various bite marks on the cars and other machines that were inside the building.

"I don't recall ever learning of a monster that can chew through metal such as this," Yatsuhashi said while kneeling down in order to investigate the damages that were caused to the vehicle.

"Just what the hell was that? I've heard the growl of a fair share of monsters, though that one was a first." Mercury said with his arms crossed.

"Yes, it did not sound like any other beast we have encountered before." He said as he stood up in order to face his friend. "Do you think it is one of the experiments?" The giant whispered.

"It's possible. I don't know of any other monsters that can bite through steel." Brandon said quietly. "Though the prototype couldn't have been that large. There would have been more visible damage to the interior of the warehouse." The two stared at one of the cars that had a solid bite mark on the front bumper.

Before Yatsuhashi or Brandon could further analyze the situation, the assassin quickly joined in on the conversation. "What in the hell are either of you two talking about?!" He asked.

"...Should we tell him?" Yatsuhashi asked.

The boy thought about it for a quick moment before nodding his head. "It's a bit of a long story." He said as he proceeded to tell the assassin about the secret project that Doctor Merlot was working on.

"So that's basically what's going on." The boy said.

Mercury stood there in silence as he absorbed all of the information. "Hold on, so there was this mad scientist who made these freak of natures in order to help humanity in its battle against monsters. Though all that power went to his head and he created a monster so powerful that not even the best Hunstmen and Huntresses could have stopped it?"

"That's the gist of it." He said.

"Not only that though the madman is still alive and is currently close to creating another more powerful version of the monster that destroyed Mountain Glenn?!" Mercury asked, causing the two of us to nod in response.

Various thoughts were running through the assassins head, though he only came to a single conclusion.

 _"This mad scientist is gonna be some serious trouble in the future if we don't deal with him now!"_ Mercury thought to himself while pinching his chin with his right hand.

"Come on. We need to go forward and put an end to this monster." Yatsuhashi said to the boy as he threw his blade over his shoulder. Though before he could move any further into the facility, he felt his friend grab his arm in order to stop him. "Is something the matter?"

"You heard what Ozpin said. Under no circumstances are we allowed to fight these experiments. You and I were barely able to defeat the last two back in the underground laboratory!" He said.

The giant stared at Brandon with a serious expression before responding. "What do you propose we do?" He asked.

"We go back to the Academy and get one of the staff involved with this whole ordeal to deal with it!" The boy offered. "Why don't we get Glynda on the case! She doesn't even use metal! You carry around a giant slab of it on your shoulders!"

"Hmm, that could be a possibility. However, it also comes with its own set of risks." Yatsuhashi said while gripping onto the handle of his blade.

Both parties stared at the giant with rather confused looks. "This Prototype seems to have gone through most of the metallic products in the warehouse. It won't be long until it has to consume the building itself."

"...So you're worried about the radio?" Brandon asked.

"No, I am worried about the Kingdom of Vale. The Emerald Forest is just outside of the capital city and it is the closest source of metal at the moment. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to make to the Academy in time on foot." The giant explained.

Much to the surprise of the duo, the assassin decided to pitch in. "So we have to take this thing down right here and now," Mercury said.

"Indeed," Yatsuhashi said.

"Hold on, how come you want to help us fight this monster? You were trying to kill us a few minutes ago." The swordsman asked as he was rather confused at the sudden change in attitude.

"I was trying to kill this one." He corrected while pointing at his target. "I have reasons for wanting to take this guy down. Ones that I don't have to disclose to either of you two." The assassin said.

Brandon turned around to face his friend. "You okay with this arrangement?" He asked.

"We can push our confrontation to the side for now. We need to focus on the task at hand." Yatsuhashi said while staring at Mercury with a slight glare.

"How about you?" The boy asked the assassin who merely crossed his arms in response.

"Let's just get this over with." He said with a sigh and with that the group started to walk through the warehouse in order to locate the monster that was feasting on the metal of the building.

Though before Mercury could get too far ahead, Brandon pulled him aside for a quick moment in order to speak to him. "So how exactly did you know that Yatsuhashi was going to be here?" He questioned.

In response, the hitman started to rub the back of his head in an embarrassed fashion. "I've been following him for the past month or so. That's how I learned about his plan to get a hold of the radio."

He walked in silence for a few moments before turning his attention over towards the giant. "Hold on! I thought you said nobody knew about this plan!" He said to the giant with his arms crossed.

The assassin let out a silent sigh of relief once he realized that the boy would not take what he said out of context. "I am just as surprised as you are. Though I did have a sneaking suspicion that I was being followed." Yatsuhashi said.

"What about you? Didn't think you'd have any real reason to be here." Mercury said.

"I was there during the whole skirmish in the Kingdom of Atlas," Brandon said. "Might do us some good to keep track of the organization's movements." He explained to the hitman.

"You were at the raid in the mines?" He asked.

"No, I was the bodyguard for Weiss Schnee." Brandon clarified.

"...So is she unbearably bratty as people say she is?" Mercury asked with a slight snicker to his voice.

"Well, she did try to murder me though that might be because of the fact that she didn't have a clue that I didn't even have a shield that everyone seems to have." He said bitterly.

 _"Thank you, Shade. You make life so much easier."_ He thought sarcastically.

"Hold on. How can you have a semblance then? An Aura is crucial to developing a semblance. You cannot have one without the other." Yatsuhashi said.

"...You're just noticing this now?" Brandon asked. "We've known each other for nearly six months now and you're just noticing that it's completely impossible for me to have a semblance?!"

The air was filled with an unsettling silence. "...Gods! How could I have not made that connection?!" He asked.

"Even I made that connection the second I figured out he didn't have an aura," Mercury said. "What you're looking at here is one of the holders of the Eleven Great Knights of this world!"

"...Hold on, you mean the Fairy Tale? Do you take me for a fool?" Yatsuhashi questioned with a deadpanned stare. "I understand that is a rather strange predicament though I'm certain there is a logical explanation to this."

"No, that's actually how I got these powers," Brandon admitted.

"...Pardon?" The giant asked.

Though before Mercury could gloat the two quickly learned of something that would be quite unsettling. "Though it's not one of the Great Knights." He said with his arms crossed.

"Huh?" The assassin asked.

"What could it be then?" Yatsuhashi asked.

"Your guess is as good as anyone else's. I just know that it's a spirit, not one of the Eleven Great Knights of the White Kingdom." Brandon explained. "Not even Headmaster Ozpin knows where this thing came from."

"Not even the Headmaster?! The man seemed so knowledgeable." Yatsuhashi said as he closed his eyes.

Though before the conversation could continue the group could hear the sound of the growl coming from down the hall. "We seem to be close." The giant said as he pulled out his weapon in preparation for combat.

Mercury and Brando got into their respective combat positions in order to prepare for combat. "You said these things were pretty big. Can you be a little more specific?" He asked.

"...Largest we've ever seen was about two stories at most." Brandon answered.

"Twenty feet?!" The assassin yelled.

Before he could protest to the sudden confrontation, Yatsuhashi slammed his foot onto the metal door, causing it to fly open ever so suddenly. Everyone had expected to see a monster that could consume a small caravan in a single bite.

Though what they saw was a small little beast that went up to a mere two feet in height. It had two short arms and one enormous mouth with razor-sharp teeth to consume the metal within the building.

"I...I was expecting something far larger than this." Yatsuhashi said.

"Ha! This is seriously what we were worried about? Come on!" Mercury proceeded to walk on over towards the small creature with a smug expression. "Let's just pick this thing up and throw it over the edge!" He said.

Just as the group was starting to believe that this beast would not be too difficult to fight, the monster proceeded to rip off a good part of Mercury's metallic leg.

"Gah!" He screamed in agony as the monster continued to chomp on the poor assassin's leg. "Don't just stand there! Get this thing off!" The assassin yelled as he attempted to kick the monster away.

Yatsuhashi used his massive sword in order to swat the monster away.

Though the experiment didn't seem to have any visible damage on its body. Sparks started to fly off of the assassin's leg as he winced in pain due to the fact that his legs were connected to his nerves.

"God damn it! To hell with the job! Let's kill this son of a bitch!" Mercury barked while attempting to stand up even on his damaged leg.

In response, the prototype growled as smoke started to emanate from its mouth. "...I think you made it angry." Yatsuhashi said.

The monster let out an ear-piercing screech before shooting some sort of beam of heat from out of its mouth. Acting quickly, Brandon used the strength of Shade in order to kick Mercury away from the blast while moving out of its range.

It continued to shoot this heat blast for a few moments until it eventually died down. A visible hole could be seen on the side of the building, causing the group to slowly stare at the prototype.

With another roar, the group decided that it would be in their best interest to fall back for the time being in order to come up with a strategy to defeat this monster. However, Brandon was not able to carry Mercury on his shoulder due to the fact that it would severely slow his movements.

"Yatsuhashi! Take him!" Brandon shouted.

He was about to protest, though the boy merely threw his body over in his direction. Much to the dismay of both parties, the two were forced to be with one another until a plan could be formed.

"Go!" He shouted as the group started to run towards the door.

The prototype growled and rushed over to the group with its massive jaw opened. The giant roared as he swung his massive blade at the experiment, though it merely clasped its teeth onto the surface of the sword.

Yatsuhashi desperately tried to shake off the monster, though it was to no avail. "Just leave it!" Brandon shouted. "It'll buy us some more time to think of a plan!"

As much as he didn't want to leave his trusted weapon behind, there wasn't time to think of other options. Once the sword fell to the ground, the prototype wasted no time when it came to consuming it.

This gave the group the opportunity they needed to run through the building in order to lose the experiment. Mercury hissed and winced due to the pain he felt in his right leg.

"Damn. Bastard." The assassin continued to swear as the group ran through the facility.

"Up here!" Yatsuhashi shouted while running up a set of stairs. The group eventually settled down in one of the storage rooms on the top floor of the warehouse in order to discuss a plan of action.

Mercury was doing the best he possibly could to fix the damages he had sustained from the previous encounter with the monster. "That didn't exactly go as planned," Brandon said with his arms crossed. "Though we didn't know what we were up against in the first place, now we have that advantage on our side."

"Right. So we know this thing eats metal and converts it into energy." Mercury said with his eyes closed. "Anything else we should know about these prototypes before we come up with a plan?" He asked.

"For one, these things are incredibly durable. We had to fight one a month ago and it was able to endure multiple fatal attacks." He explained.

"So can we even kill these things?" The assassin asked.

"We can. It's just gonna take a little more work than before. Though even then we're gonna have to be extremely careful with how we approach this situation." However, before the two continued to plan out their attack, they turned around to face Yatsuhashi.

"How about you? You got anything to contribute?" Mercury asked.

The words of the hitman fell on deaf ears. "Ah! Found it!" The giant said as he pulled out the very thing we were searching for in the first place. "Here we are! The radio I told you about!"

"Doesn't look like it'll work," Brandon said with his eyes glued to the receiver.

"All we have to do is give this to Velvet," Yatsuhashi responded with a smile on his face. "With this, we shall be able to listen on all the channels the White Fang uses without risk of detection!"

Before his friend could respond though, the hitman cleared his throat in order to get the attention of the duo. "You were saying something about having to be cautious about how we approach this situation?" Mercury asked with one of his eyebrows raised.

"Oh! Right! Even when we have it cornered it can still do some serious damage." Brandon said. "Each of the prototypes has a self destruct mechanism that activates upon death."

"Though depending on the size of the creature will determine how much time you have until it explodes. The larger the monster, the more time you have to escape the blast zone. Unless of course, you're using explosives yourself in which case detonation is instantaneous."

"I don't suppose either of you has some grenades?" Mercury asked.

Yatsuhashi started to search through his bag in order to search for possible explosives. "Unfortunately I did not believe we were in need of explosives," Yatsuhashi said as he shook his head.

"Damn. Guess that means we have to kill this thing the old fashion way." The assassin said. "So the bigger the prototype, the longer it takes to blow up. So that I think it's safe to say that the smaller the experiment is..."

"The quicker the detonation." Brandon finished.

"So a little guy like that will blow up within seconds upon death." Mercury deduced. "Meaning whoever does the killing blow is gonna be in serious danger." He said as the room went silent.

It seems that nobody was volunteering to do the deed. "I don't suppose one of you has a plan?" The assassin asked.

"Hmm, I've got an idea." The boy said.

"Better than nothing. Lay it on us." Mercury said.

"First off, we're gonna have to get rid of all the metal we have. Except for Mercury, he can keep what he has." Brandon said to which the hitman let out a sigh of relief to the boy's statement.

"Now why would you make an exception for this one?" The giant asked with his arms crossed.

"Because we're friends." He said with a smug expression.

"That would imply removing his legs which basically renders him useless. We're gonna need all the help we can get and he's the only one here who has ranged attacks at his disposal." Mercury visibly deflated once he learned that the reason was a little less personal.

Yatsuhashi closed his eyes for a few moments before eventually nodding his head. "Very well. I suppose I can see the logic in this. Though what do you propose we do? I do not have an easy method of destroying the armor I have." He said.

"We can store it outside of the forest," Brandon said. "Which leads us to the next phase of the plan."

"That being?" Mercury asked.

"From what we've gathered this thing is able to consume metal. Though it does have a limit to how much it can consume before it has to release it." He said. "As long as we're in this building we're at a severe disadvantage." He explained.

"So what do you propose we do?" Yatsuhashi asked.

"We wait."

"...For what?" The assassin asked.

"For the prototype to consume everything in the warehouse. Including the warehouse itself." Brandon said, which in turn caused both Yatsuhashi and Mercury to stare at the boy with rather perplexed expressions.

"Are you kidding?! That would take hours!" Mercury said.

However, upon thinking about it further, the giant started to see the logic in this plan. "It would put us at an advantage. The only forms of metal that would be present on the battlefield would be this one's legs."

"So all we have to do it play the waiting game?" He asked.

"Pretty much. It won't do us any good if the prototype is able to recharge his signature attack. Not only that though we have no idea if that's the only ability it has." Brandon noted.

Yatsuhashi nodded in agreement. "Indeed. It would be in our best interest to observe it's behavior before initiating the plan." He said with his arms crossed.

As much as the assassin didn't really like the plan to sit and wait until the battlefield was more favorable. However, he did admit that it was probably the best course of action for the time being.

So once the group was prepared, everyone proceeded to head on over to the Emerald Forest. The giant put his armor into the bag he had carried all the way over to the warehouse and hid the radio in a place that Mercury would not be able to locate.

However, before hiding his bag he gave his friend a pair of binoculars in order to keep an eye on the warehouse. A visible tension could be felt between Mercury and Yatsuhashi though the two managed to keep the situation under control as neither of them wanted to attract monsters to the area.

The assassin briefly thought upon the idea of stabbing the group in the back in order to complete the job he was given. He shook the thought away as there were a few reasons as to why he did not want to carry out the will of the organization

"We're gonna be here forever," Mercury said while leaning up against a rock.

Brandon was still looking out at the warehouse in order to keep track of the behavior of the prototype while Yatsuhashi was on a rock meditating. At the moment, the boy had nothing to do but wait.

Three hours had passed until the experiment eventually started to chow down on the warehouse itself.

Despite that, the group still had to wait a good amount of time until the tide of the battle could be changed. With nothing better to do, Mercury turned his attention over towards his friend.

A few moments of silence passed until Brandon eventually broke the silence that filled the air. "Can I ask you something?" He asked.

"Shoot." He said.

"How come you call us friends?" He questioned. "We barely even know each other in the first place. So how come you're still trying to keep in touch?" It was indeed strange and Brandon wanted to find answers.

Mercury sat there in silence until he eventually spoke up. "Don't worry about it. Nothing for you to concern yourself with."

He growled in response though he dropped the topic none the less.

Nighttime eventually fell on the Emerald Forest, the shattered moon illuminating the lush green woods. It took quite a bit of time, though the prototype had managed to consume the entire warehouse without leaving a scrap of metal behind.

The experiment started to sniff the air in order to search for more metallic properties to consume. Once the abomination caught the scent of the metal the group was carrying, it started to growl.

"Here we go," Mercury said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Remember the plan," Brandon said while grasping onto his blade tightly while Yatsuhashi got into his hand to hand combat position. In response, the creation of Doctor Merlot started to charge up the blast it used from before.

In response, Mercury started to shoot various wind bullets that started to circle around the group in a clockwise motion.

The ground beneath the experiment started to shake and smoke could be seen coming out from the mouth of the prototype. It started to growl slightly while a bright light started to glow from within its maw.

Mercury growled and started to spin a little faster in order to initiate the first phase of the plan.

Fortunately for the group, the assassin was able to form the barrier just in time. The abomination let out a mighty roar before shooting the heat over towards the group, though the shield that Mercury had created was able to nullify the effects of the attack.

Now with an opening to strike, both Yatsuhashi and Brandon rushed forwards in order to begin the first phase of the battle. Without the use of its main form of attack, the monster started to rush towards the group with its jaw opened wide.

However, before it could even move four feet away from where it was originally standing, another one of Mercury's air bullets struck it from the side. It stumbled to the right for a few moments though before it could recover it was sent flying up into the air due to the sheer strength of Yatsuhashi.

It screeched for a few moments until it was eventually slammed back to the ground with the aid of the spirit known as Shade. It started to growl more violently as it got up, though it was hit with yet another set of air bullets.

Yatsuhashi picked it up and threw it into the air once again, giving the Spirit an opportunity to strike at it once again.

This continued for a few moments with Mercury and Brandon dealing most of the damage and Yatsuhashi keeping airborne so that it didn't have the opportunity to attack.

Yatsuhashi threw the prototype into the air once again, though rather than suffering yet another fatal blow from Shade, the experiment grasped onto his fist in order to maneuver through the air.

Everyone was surprised at how the abomination was able to react to the attack, though had to act fast once it landed right next to the hitman. It tried to bite down on the leg of the assassin, though was met with a rather unpleasant surprise once he sidestepped out of the way.

 _"Not falling for that again!"_ He thought as he started to rapidly hit the monster with his metallic legs.

However, the armor the beast had was much too sturdy for Mercury to break through. The only way the group would do damage to the prototype was with the sheer force that Shade had.

The experiment jumped around the assassin in hopes to gain some energy from the metal he had on his legs, though he wasn't giving the abomination any openings to strike.

Yatsuhashi attempted to land a decisive strike on the monster, though it merely jumped out of the way in order to slash at the figure of the giant. It latched onto his neck and proceeded to bite down on it with all the force it had.

He desperately tried to shake the prototype off, though the grip the freak had on him was much too strong.

Acting quickly, Brandon manifested Shade next to his friend so that he could swat the monster before it could penetrate the man's shield and sink its sharp teeth into his flesh.

"Gods! This one is quite persistent!" Yatsuhashi said while rubbing the area where the prototype had bitten.

"The battle isn't over yet!" Brandon said as he gripped the handle of his blade tightly.

"It is quite heavy for its size! I nearly fell to the ground under the sheer weight!" He said while moving over to assist Mercury in the battle against the madman's creation.

However, there was something about what the giant had said that struck a chord within the mind of the spirit user. Once he had pieced together yet another plan, he ran over in order to punch the prototype into the forest.

"You two! I've got an idea!" He said rapidly as he had a limited amount of time to explain the plan. Though once all the details had been fully explained, both parties were completely baffled behind the risk of this plan.

"Hold on! Don't think I'm about to throw down what life I have for this traitor here!" Mercury said.

Before Yatsuhashi could protest, Brandon quickly spoke up. "You got any better ideas?! Let's hear em! Because right now this is our only option! This thing will kill all three of us!" He shouted.

He growled in response at the thought that he would have to lay down his life. Though once he had accepted that this was indeed the only path available to them, he shouted into the air.

"Damn it! Fine! You better know what you're doing though!" Mercury said.

Just as the group was about to prepare to deal with the prototype once and for all, the creation in question ran through the leaves of the forest with its teeth bared. It let out an ear-piercing roar as it started to charge forwards.

In response, the group started to run towards the cliffside of the Emerald Forest. Once everyone reached the edge of the cliff, Mercury and Brandon jumped off of the edge while Yatsuhashi stopped dead in his tracks.

Sure enough, on the otherwise of the hill was the raging current of the sea. Widdling down its defenses had proved to be too difficult, even with the help of Shade, so Brandon figured out a way to kill it without the group is within the blast radius.

Using every ounce air he had stored up in his legs, Mercury pushed the prototype towards the raging waters before it could chomp down on the metallic surface of his legs.

He reached out in order to grasp onto the hand of Brandon, to which he eagerly accepted. Once he had a firm grip on the hand of the boy, he used the remaining air he had in the metal legs to propel them upwards.

Yatsuhashi roared while extending his hand out to the group though he just barely missed grabbing onto the hand of Mercury. Before the two could fall towards the raging current, Brandon summoned Shade so that he could push the duo up towards the edge of the cliff.

Once everyone was on solid land, an audible explosion could be heard from the bottom of the ocean. "Now that was too close," Mercury said as he sat down on the lush green grass while breathing heavily.

"I don't suppose you wish to carry out the will of the organization now that the battle against the madman's creation is over?" Yatsuhashi asked while sitting on the ground, equally as exhausted.

"Are you kidding?! I gotta go through all that work to kill one guy?! Hell no! Have someone else do it!" Mercury shouted while laying down on the ground. He was basking in the moonlight for a few moments until he was eventually shadowed by sudden darkness.

Once he opened his eyes he could see the figure of Brandon standing above him with a serious expression. "Oh. Hey. You really saved our asses there, I owe you one." Mercury said with one of his signature grins.

"How come you call us friends?!" Brandon shouted as he was clearly irritated at the fact that he was being kept in the dark about something that clearly had something to do with him.

The hitman held up his hands in a defensive manner before letting out a sigh. "I guess I owe you that much," Mercury said while getting up from off of the ground. "Though we talk alone." He demanded while pointing his finger over at Yatsuhashi.

"...We got what we came here for. Let's get out of the forest before we attract the attention of some of the local monsters." Brandon said with a serious expression.

"Very well. Come, let us make haste," he said as the group gathered everything in order to leave the Emerald Forest.

 _ **...**_

Once we made it back to the city, Yatsuhashi went back to the Academy in order to give Velvet the broken down radio. This gave the two of us plenty of time to talk with one another.

I had questions and Mercury was the only one who could answer them. The two of us sat down on a park bench near the house I was staying at as the moonlight above us shined over the city.

We sat there in silence until Mercury eventually spoke up. "...So where do you want to start?" He asked.

"Answer the question I've been asking you for nearly eight hours now," I said with a rather serious expression.

He took a deep breath before summoning the will to explain the reason behind his rather strange behavior. "...It's because you're the only one who could understand how I feel." Mercury admitted.

I just stared at the boy with a confused expression. "I don't follow." Was the only response I gave him.

"Do you know who I am?" The assassin asked.

From the way this conversation was going, I was only going to get more questions than answers. "Mercury Black. Not sure why you're asking though." I said.

"Guess I should have been more specific. Are you familiar with a man known as Marcus Black?" Mercury asked.

I debated on whether or not I should answer this question truthfully or not. "...Can't say that I am." I lied as I wanted to see where he would go with this conversation without knowing that I knew who his father was.

"He was one of the most notorious killers in the entire Kingdom of Vale. Once you were under his radar, you were lucky to make it through the week." He said clasping his hands together tightly.

"Though despite what others would believe, he had a family. A wife and a son." Mercury said while gritting his teeth together. "I'm the son of Marcus Black." He with a scowl on his face.

I let the hitman regain his composure before speaking up. "So is this why you're in Vale? Because of your father?" I asked.

Mercury merely chuckled at that response. "That bastard is long dead. I made sure of that." He said with a smile on his face. "Was the one good thing I've ever done." His grin was now replaced with a scowl.

"He hated us." He said.

"Us?" I asked.

This was the first time I've ever heard anything about someone else falling victim to Marcus. "Mom. Meridith. That rotten old man used her when he needed to blow off some steam." He growled.

"Every day was a beatdown like no other. He never went easy on either of us. He called it training, he said he was preparing me for the horrible world that was out there." Mercury said.

"When he found out I unlocked a semblance, he used his own to take it away!" The assassin explained.

"Hold on. Your father could steal other people's abilities?!" I asked as I was completely perplexed at the idea of someone so dangerous having such a powerful ability.

"Yeah, though once he used it just once it would disappear. He'd never be able to use that power again." Mercury explained. "I still remember what he said when I lost it. This is a crutch! This makes you weak! He said I could have it back once I got strong."

The man gritted his teeth tightly. "So I got strong! I got strong so that when I was ready I could smash that bastard's skull in! I got strong so I could protect mom!" He said while clenching his fist.

"Guess I was only able to do one of those things." He said softly. "Marcus drove her to insanity. So I butchered that man on his own front lawn and I never got that semblance back!"

"How in the hell did you manage to take down a man like that?!" I asked.

"It wasn't easy and I didn't come out of it in one piece." He said as he tapped on his prosthetic legs. "I still wonder how I was able to kill him. Maybe it was luck or fate. Not that I really care anymore in the first place, the bastards gone and that's all that matters."

"So how did you get out? I doubt you just walked off injuries like that." I asked, even though I already knew how he survived in the first place.

"...I met two people. The boss and a girl named Emerald Sustrai." Mercury answered. "Dragged me out from the mountains. I woke up to see the boss attaching prosthetics on me."

He clenched onto the metal surface of his legs tightly. "All I was asked to do in return was to help them with an operation in Vale," Mercury explained. "Seeing as I had literally nothing left to go back to, I took the boss up on the deal."

"..."

"Never thought I'd meet someone who could even remotely understand how I felt." He said with a serious expression. "I never thought I'd meet someone who was also cursed from the very moment we set foot on this godforsaken planet." He said.

"...I guess you and I are alike." In more ways than one.

"No kidding." He said.

Though before we could continue with the conversation, the alert notifying that Mercury was getting a call started to echo throughout the park. Once he caught a glimpse as to who was calling him, he shot up from the bench and walked away.

I could hear the sound of a female voice shouting from the other side of the line. "...Hello to you too." Mercury barked to the woman. "...Look things got a little complicated! Sorry that I didn't map out every little detail on the plan!" He said while throwing his hands up in the air.

"...So here's the thing…" Once that sentence left his lips I could clearly hear Emerald's voice on the other side of the line and if her tone was anything to go by then she was absolutely livid. "It wasn't for nothing! Let's be honest you need to get out more." The assassin said.

"...Just keep him busy! I've got a plan!" With that, the assassin cut off the connection. "Guess I gotta cut the conversation short." He said with a frustrated expression on his face.

"She did not sound happy with you," I commented.

"That was Emerald. The partner I told you about a few times." Mercury said.

"I guess she wasn't exactly happy with how you failed to kill Yatsuhashi," I said to which the assassin grumbled to himself once I described the situation as him failing to do something.

"No, she was not. I doubt our employer will be either." Mercury said. "Though don't worry, I've got the whole situation figured out." He said as he started to walk off into the distance with his hands in his pocket.

"I'll give ya a call once I got a job!" He said while looking over his shoulders. "And I'll have you know that I did not fail to kill him! I just had enough mercy to spare him! You both should be thankful."

Suppose some things will never change.

With that, I sat there in the dimly lighted park alone while thinking upon the conversation the two of just had. Memories started to resurface, ones from before I even came to this world.

I tried whatever I could to push them back, though it was becoming increasingly more difficult these days.

 _ **...**_

Emerald could be seen pacing around the room rapidly as she was inwardly panicking about the current predicament she was in. Before she could continue to move around the room she could hear the front door to the room open, revealing her partner, Mercury Black.

"Where in the hell have you been?! Do you have any idea of the situation we're in?!" Emerald roared at her partner.

"I was busy getting this!" Mercury said while holding up some strange communication device.

This did not reassure his partner in the slightest. "...You took thirty years off of my life just so you could get some stupid radio?!" She asked as the headache she was currently having was becoming all the more severe.

"Hold on! This isn't just some old hunk of junk I got from the shelves." He said with the confident smirk on his face. "We're gonna contact the boss! Let's see Taurus deal with this!"

A heart attack was threatening to take the life of the young girl. "Are you insane?! Are you trying to get us killed?!"

"Just watch," Mercury said as audible footsteps could be heard from the hallway outside of the room.

Without so much as a warning, Adam Taurus kicked down the door with a scowl on his face. "Explain yourself! Now! You were supposed to kill that traitor!" The Bull Faunus roared while holding onto the handle of his blade.

The only response Adam got was for the hitman to press one of the buttons on the communication device. "I will give you five seconds to come up with a reason why I shouldn't remove your tongue right here and now!" The Leader of Vale's White Fang roared.

 _ **"Because that would violate the terms of our arrangement."**_ A distorted voice said, however, both Emerald and Adam were very much aware of who this voice belonged to.

"B-Boss," Emerald said with an audible gulp.

 _ **"Can you please explain why you are having Mercury here cleaning the messes you have made?"**_ The Boss questioned the Leader as a drop of sweat started to run down his forehead.

"...It was to encourage cooperation amongst the member of the White Fang. To ensure that future operations run smoothly." Adam answered once he regained his composure while also letting go of the handle to his blade.

 _ **"Yet you failed to mention that this traitor was a student of Beacon Academy."**_ It was clear that they were not happy about how the leader of the Vale District blatantly disregarded the terms of the arrangement.

"That is irrelevant! None are above the rule of-!"

 _ **"Perhaps you've forgotten. You were specifically instructed to keep clear from the school and it's students."**_

"Stay out of this! The business of the White Fang is of no concern to you!" The rage of the man continued to rise, however, the boss was able to keep a level head in order to push the situation in their favor.

 _ **"We are associates. Your actions will affect the integrity of our operation as well. That is something we cannot allow, I hope you know this."**_ As much as the leader of the Vale District wanted to retort, he managed to hold his tongue in order to keep the situation under control.

 _ **"You will be given another chance. I will say this once more, steer clear of the Huntsman Schools."**_ Mercury was slightly disappointed that the Bull Faunus wasn't going to be punished, though he had to admit that seeing him grovel at the knees of some voice from the radio was quite satisfying.

"...Understood." Adam said.

 _ **"As for you, Mercury."**_ The boss said as she turned her attention towards the assassin in question. _**"I am not pleased with the actions you have decided to take recently."**_

"Huh?! What the hell did I do?!" He asked while Emerald did her best to hold her laughter in.

 _ **"You were aware that this traitor was a student at Beacon Academy and yet you chose to pursue this job despite being told otherwise."**_ They said while the boy clenched his fist.

This was not how the assassin pictured this conversation going. "It was his idea!" Mercury shouted while pointing his finger at the Bull Faunus.

 _ **"And you chose to follow through with the plan."**_ He couldn't really argue with that. _**"Learn to cooperate without jeopardizing the opperation."**_

"...Right."

 _ **"We can not afford to falter. Not now. Keep steady, all of you. You are all valuable assets to the future of this plan."** _The boss said as the connection cut out from the room.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Thus another chapter of our story comes to an end. In hopes to keep track of the movements of the once peacefully organization, our heroes set out to the outskirts of the Emerald Forest.**_

 _ **Although, the traitor was surprised when he came face to face with an assassin, one who was all too familiar with our hero.**_

 _ **However, enemies can become allies when presented with a common enemy.**_ _ **Yet another one of Merlot's creations was discovered within the facility.**_

 _ **The confrontation lasted till the shattered moon shone over the raging seas of this world, though our heroes emerged victorious in the end.**_ _ **However, our boy was suspicious of the strange behavior of the cursed assassin.**_

 _ **Once explained, the boy finally understood that the hitman had finally managed to find someone who could understand what it meant to walk through life with a curse over your head, and this was not someone he would simply let walk by so easily.**_

 _ **Now acquaintances have become friends, and our hero now has a new ally at his side.**_

 _ **However, one cannot simply rely on numbers in order to face the trials ahead.**_

 _ **Though that is a story for another day.**_

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: Delusions**_


	18. Delusions

_**The Story so Far... Once our heroes returned from the Kingdom of Atlas, the once peaceful organization plotted to hunt down and eliminate the traitor. Though such a task is easier said than done.**_

 _ **It would be rather difficult to kill one of the students at one of the four major Huntsmen Schools without going unnoticed. However, the leader of the Vale District enlisted the help of some rather peculiar individuals.**_

 _ **Everyone within the organization was completely baffled that Adam Taurus of all people would accept the aid of mankind. Two familiar individuals were recruited into the ranks of the White Fang.**_

 _ **Mercury Black, the son, and killer of the legendary assassin, Marcus Black, as well as a notorious thief who seemed to always be at the right place at the right time, Emerald Sustrai.**_

 _ **However, the identity of the boss still remains a mystery to the organizations involved with the plan.**_

 _ **Not wanting to draw attention to the movement, the leader hired the assassin to kill the traitor known as Yatsuhashi Daichi. Despite the task, however, the boy was given strict instructions to not involve himself with the Academy.**_

 _ **Taurus did not seem to care for the intentions of the boss, however, and insisted that Mercury continued with this job in order to encourage cooperation among the ranks of the White Fang.**_

 _ **As much as the right-hand man was against these petty jobs, he could not deny that the money that would be rewarded was quite large when compared to some of his past jobs.**_

 _ **It was supposed to be a simple assassination contract, and yet Mercury ran into quite a predicament once he managed to locate and trap his target. Our hero, who the assassin had a rather strange personal connection with, managed to stop the two from attempting to kill one another.**_

 _ **Once the hitman explained to him why he seemed to share this strange connection with him, the tension our hero felt towards Mercury eased. Though while he has gained the trust of one the right hand of the False Maiden, the left one will prove to be quite the challenge indeed.**_

 _ **...**_

 ** _Delusion_**

Suspicion.

That was the only feeling Emerald has ever felt towards her partner ever since she and the boss had fixed him up. He took petty jobs for mere profit and associated himself with less than desirable people.

Now, however, she was even more suspicious of Mercury then ever before. It's been six months since he hatched the plan to steal the money that would be exchanged for powerful weapons and the two have been in touch ever since.

Not that she particularly cared for his social life, or lack thereof, she was just cautious at the idea that Mercury could be plotting behind her back. This was no ordinary boy, this was one of the holders of the Eleven Great Knights, powerful warriors from a realm unknown to the mortal plain.

So she did the one thing she could possibly think of doing, Emerald contacted the boss to inform her of the situation in the capital city of the Kingdom. Needless to say, she was not pleased, not in the slightest.

 _ **"Are you certain Mercury wishes to plot against us?"**_ The distorted voice of the boss said through the radio she had in her room.

"I don't want to believe that this is the case. Though it's been a month since we contacted you about the deal that he made with Taurus and the two have gone on a few jobs ever since." Emerald explained.

 _ **"I do not wish to believe Mercury will betray us either. You two have become more to me than just mere foot soldiers."**_ The cheeks of Emerald started to burn a little upon hearing the praise of the boss. She held her in such high regard once she pulled her away from the clutches of her past life, and hearing her say that was more than enough to put her in a good mood.

 _ **"You said that Mercury wishes to attain an ally that could possibly match me in strength. Is that correct?"**_ The boss questioned.

"Hmm? Oh! Yeah, though he's just being delusional is all. There's no one who could match you in battle." Emerald said with a prideful expression while also making sure that she didn't reveal the source of her strength in the first place.

Though the response that the boss gave her wasn't exactly one she had hoped for. **_"I would not be so sure of that. You said that you weren't able to find any information on a Spirit named Shade?"_** They asked.

"...No. I wasn't able to. No matter how many books I went through there wasn't a single mention of Shade." Emerald said.

To both of them, the thought of having to face against the unknown was rather intimidating. "You don't think we'll have to deal with the other Great Knights?" She started to bite down on her nails.

 _ **"Anything is possible."**_ The boss said.

Emerald pinched her chin with her right hand before asking, "Do you think we should deal with this problem before it gets too out of hand?"

The boss started to think about the suggestion that the girl had given them. _ **"...No. Not yet. We need to know more about this enemy before we form a strategy."**_ She said.

"I suppose you have a point." She said while crossing her arms.

 _ **"Though enough of that. I have an assignment for the two of you."**_ The boss said through the radio.

Emerald merely stared at the receiver with an attentive look. "An assignment?"

A holographic projection showing files for Emerald and Mercury could be seen coming from the front of the radio. _ **"Lionheart was able to hold his end of the bargain. The man was able to create the transcripts needed for you two to enter Beacon Academy as transfer students from Haven Academy."**_ They explained while showing the details of the transcripts in question.

"Hold on. Aren't teams in the Huntsmen Schools made out of four people?" Not that she doubted the plan, though even she was aware of the fact that a two-person team would arouse some suspicion amongst the staff.

 ** _"We are aware of this factor and have taken it into consideration."_** The boss answered. _**"During the initiation, the two of you fought valiantly against a horde of monsters in hopes to save a wandering caravan group that stumbled upon the Initiation Grounds."**_

Emerald could already tell where this conversation was going. _**"Though upon clearing out all potential threats, the caravan was engulfed in flames and blood could be seen splattered all throughout the clearing."**_

 _ **"In order to acknowledge your valiant efforts, Lionheart humbly accepted you into Haven Academy. You two are forced to bear the burden of the lost lives of these people for the rest of your days."**_

"So how are you going to keep this story credible? As far as I'm aware, no one in the last initiation for Haven Academy died." She said.

 _ **"You two will take part in next years initiation. I had to call in a few favors in order to ensure that this story stays credible until the day of the Vytal Festival."** _

The plan seemed simple enough. "So how exactly are we going to get these transcripts in the first place? Is there some sort of mailbox that we'll need to go to that has the papers?" Emerald questioned.

 _ **"You will have to gather on a revenue point near the ocean bordering Vale and Mistral. A messenger hand picked by Leo will be there to meet you two."**_ She explained.

She supposed that it would be rather stupid to place such highly confidential and important papers in a simple locked box out in the open. "Do they know about the forged transcripts?" She asked.

 _ **"Not that I am aware of. To them, this will be a simple delivery of documents for the Mistral Academy."**_ The boss said. _**"All you have to do is acquire the briefcase holding the transcripts and report back."**_

"So what happens if this messenger does find out about the transcripts?" The girl questioned even though she had a general idea of what would have to happen.

The boss merely sighed in response. _**"Do whatever you have to do in order to obtain the documents."**_

"Right," Emerald said.

The light from the front of the radio started to glow. _**"Place your scroll in front of the transceiver. I will send you the coordinates."**_ She nodded her head and did as she was instructed to do.

Once the data was transferred, the right hand of the boss started to look through the information that was given to her. _**"The messenger will arrive in the Kingdom of Vale next week."**_

"Got it. I'll let Mercury in on the details." Emerald said.

 _ **"There is no need to shed blood during this operation. All you need is to acquire the documents."**_ It was clear that the boss was not happy about the trouble the duo had caused in the past few months.

"I understand." She said.

 _ **"Good. Once we obtain the transcripts we will discuss moving to the next phase of the plan."**_ With that, the connection cut off, leaving Emerald to stand in the room alone with nothing but her thoughts to occupy her.

She picked up the radio and hid it within the walls of the room before contacting her partner. She proceeded to do this four times in a row until her partner eventually answered her calls.

 _"Can I help you?"_ Mercury asked through the speaker in her scroll.

"Please just answer the first time." She ground while rubbing her forehead with her free hand in order to fight off the headache she was starting to get. "The boss has given us a job to do," Emerald said.

The boy proceeded to yawn before giving his response. _"What else is new?"_ He asked.

"It's about the transcripts." This seemed to get the attention of her partner.

 _"So what's going on? Is there some sort of mailbox that we'll need to go to that has the papers?"_ Mercury asked.

"...No! Of course not! Do you really think that our transcripts would be in a simple locked box out in the open?!" Emerald asked while a few drops of sweat started to run down her forehead.

 _"I guess you have a point there."_ His partner let out a sigh of relief. _"You say something?"_ The girl merely cleared her throat in response to his question.

"Don't worry about it. Nothing important." She said. "We're supposed to meet someone at this location, they'll be holding the documents we need," Emerald explained while transferring the data with her partner.

 _"You sure it's a good idea to get someone else involved with the plan?"_ Mercury asked.

It was understandable that the assassin was a little bit skeptical about the whole ordeal, as he was already in enough trouble with the boss as it is. "The messenger doesn't know about the transcripts. The details were kept confidential even to the security team that'll be around the border."

The mention of a security force being present was enough to give the boy a bad feeling about the whole situation. _"Security? Fighting our way out of there is gonna be tough with a security team on the sight."_

"We're not going to fight. We've been given strict orders to avoid confrontation at all costs." Emerald explained. "Our only job is to acquire the transcripts and report back to base."

 _"Is that right?"_ He asked.

"That means we'll have to talk our way out of situations. We'll have to use our _words_ to complete this job." She said while putting more emphasis in her speech in hopes to get through to her partner.

He merely growled before responding, _"Will you take it easy? I know how to negotiate."_

"I know. That doesn't mean you're good at it." Mercury merely grumbled in response. "The job is simple enough. We head to the docks bordering the two kingdoms in one week and grab the transcripts. This doesn't need to turn into a shootout." Emerald said.

The boy decided to drop the subject for the time being. _"Right."_

"We'll discuss a plan of action when you get back to base." She said as she cut off the connection.

Emerald sighed before settling down on the sofa near the end of the room she was staying in. She shook her head before grabbing onto a notepad in order to write down all the possible outcomes of this job.

The girl waited in her room for an hour until she eventually heard a knock on the door. "Hey! Em! Open up!" She heard the muffled voice of her partner say from the other side of the entrance.

Emerald sighed as she got up from off of the couch in order to open the door to let the assassin into the room. "Come in. We have a lot to talk about." Mercury nodded as he made his way into the room. The girl poked her head from outside of the room in order to search for any potential eavesdroppers, though once she was certain that nobody would be listening in onto the conversation, she entered the room before locking the door from the inside.

The assassin started to flip through the various pages of the notepad before saying, "Looks like you've been busy."

"Not like I had anything better to do while you were away." She commented with a sour expression on her face. "What were you even doing in the first place?" She questioned with her arms crossed.

"Does it matter? I'm not causing trouble." Mercury flipped to another page in the notepad.

Emerald merely stared at him with suspicious intent before eventually shaking her head. "I suppose it doesn't," Emerald said before sitting down on the sofa near the end of the room.

"I went over the details of this mission earlier." He said while pulling up the layout of the docks near the body of water that bordered the two kingdoms. "We're supposed to meet the messenger near this building. It's blocked off from the rest of the town so we shouldn't have to worry about civilians getting in the way." Mercury said while zooming in on the structure.

Emerald stared at the layout of the building for a few moments before questioning the assassin, "What's the situation with security?"

"Does it matter? We're just gonna walk in and retrieve the transcripts." He commented. "You said it yourself, we're not here to start a fight."

The girl nodded her head before responding with, "You're right, though I'd like to be prepared for anything. You can never be too careful." Emerald commented while crossing her arms.

"I think you're being paranoid."

"What if the messenger runs off with the transcripts? Forging Academy papers is a huge violation." She proposed.

Mercury stared at his partner with a rather suspicious look. "Hold on. I thought you said he didn't know about the documents. How would he run off with them?" The assassin questioned.

"As long as the possibility exists then I'd like to be prepared for it," Emerald said.

The room was filled with silence for a few moments until Mercury eventually responded with, "Two guards will be guarding the front and back gates. There'll also be guards in up in the watchtowers near the gates."

"I figured as much. How about on the outside and inside of the building?" She asked.

"A few patrol vehicles should be around in the forest while a team should be patrolling the town." The assassin said. "No doubt there'll be a few guards in the building as well."

Emerald merely sat there in silence as she pondered the information. "There you have it. That's the whole layout of the security team. Though we won't have to worry about it because the messenger won't take off with the papers." He said.

"You don't know that." She countered.

Mercury merely sighed before responding. "Fine, I'll humor you. How would he even know about the transcripts in the first place?"

"He could have just opened the briefcase containing the documents," Emerald said with her arms crossed.

The assassin shook his head to the thief's statement. "That could be possible. Though that would imply that he would have a reason to open the briefcase in the first place and no he does not have a reason to open the briefcase!"

"Would you rather be unprepared?" She asked with one of her eyebrows raised.

"...I'm listening." He sighed in defeat once he realized that there was no getting through to the girl in question.

Emerald picked up the notepad that she had on the wooden table next to the sofa. "How about we start off with the first plan I had in mind." The girl said before settling on the section she was looking for.

"The first plan? You mean you've made multiple plans?" Mercury was suddenly regretting his decision.

"What do you think I did for the past hour?" She asked.

The assassin merely stared at the girl with a rather perplexed expression. "Don't you have any hobbies?!" He asked.

"None that are legal. Though I do like reading." Emerald said before reading each individual page in the note pad. The whole process to quite a bit of time, as every possible scenario was written down in the notepad. "That should about do it. Do you have any questions?" She finished the very lengthy explanation of each plan she had devised.

 _"Yes."_ Mercury thought.

Though he decided to just pretend that he understood all of what she had just said in order to avoid yet another lengthy explanation. "No, I've got it all down." He said to his partner.

"Good," Emerald said as she placed the notepad onto the wooden table next to the sofa.

"I'll go over the layout of the town to get more familiar with it." The assassin said while putting his scroll into his pants pocket.

"Got it. I'll meet you at the forest just outside of the town on the day before the messenger is supposed to arrive in the Kingdom and make sure you aren't followed." She said as she picked up a book that was placed on the sofa cushion next to her.

 _ **...**_

Once Emerald actually arrived at the forest on the outskirts of the town, she found herself standing in some sort of clearing while waiting for her partner to arrive. She was irritated with the fact that he was running late yet again.

Fortunately for her, the messenger wouldn't arrive until tomorrow.

That being said she wanted to prepare before the carrier arrived at the harbor.

She wanted to be absolutely certain that things would go smoothly during the delivery of the transcripts. Though perhaps Mercury was right and she was just being paranoid about the whole ordeal.

"Where the hell is he?" She asked herself while staring up at the blue sky above her.

Emerald stood near a tree for a few moments before the sound of rustling leaves brought her back to reality. She wasted no time pulling out the two revolvers that she had holstered on her waist.

"Easy there. No need to shoot." The voice of her partner said through the various shrubs and trees.

"You're late again. I've been standing in this clearing for nearly two hours now." She growled while putting her two weapons back into their holsters.

Mercury walked over towards the clearing before saying, "No, you said that I needed to be here before the carrier arrived at the harbor. Therefore, I'm just on time." The assassin pointed out.

She was about to bark at her partner again, though she was quickly cut off once she saw yet another figure walk out from the forest and into the clearing. They were wearing a vast amount of clothing so it was rather difficult to identify them in the first place.

"...Who the hell is this?! I thought I told you to make sure you weren't followed!" She shouted as she pointed her finger at the figure.

"He's someone I brought, never hurts to have a little extra security," Mercury explained.

Emerald could feel yet another headache starting to form. "Can you give us a minute?" Emerald asked the newcomer who merely gave her a thumbs up in response before heading back into the forest.

"I never told you to bring back up!" She whispered to the assassin.

"You were freaking out about the whole operation! So I thought that bringing someone along for the trip would be a good idea!" Mercury explained to his partner.

She merely started to rub the temples of her eyes with her right hand before responding. "What in the world made you think this was a good idea?!" Emerald asked in hopes to understand the reasoning behind her partner.

"Look, I never told him about the transcripts. As far as he's aware this is just a simple business deal." The assassin said. "We just have to grab the documents and go. The plan hasn't changed."

Emerald merely narrowed her eyes before turning her head in order to face the person Mercury had recruited for the job. "You sure we can even trust him?" She asked while pointing one of her fingers at the boy in question.

The assassin merely nodded in response. "I still would have appreciated knowing about this beforehand," Emerald said to her partner.

"You wouldn't have agreed with the arrangement then," Mercury said.

"I still don't agree with it. Though it's not like we have a choice right now. Just make sure he doesn't cause trouble." She said before going over to confront the person in question.

He merely perked his head up in response in order to greet the girl. "So who are you? You got a name?" Emerald asked with her arms crossed.

It took the boy a few moments to respond though once he cleared his throat he said, "The name is Bruno. It's nice to meet you." He introduced with a rather rough tone in his voice.

"...Pleasure." She said while holding out her hand.

Bruno reached out and grasped onto the palm tightly before giving it a firm shake. "Good to work with you." He said while releasing his grip on the girl's hand.

"Right. So how exactly do you know Mercury?" Emerald asked with one of her eyebrows raised.

Bruno merely stood there in silence for a few moments until he gave her an answer to her question. "We went on a few jobs in the past. It was before he took the long term contract from your employer." He said.

"How much do you know about the contract in the first place?" She asked.

It was starting to become clear that she was pressing for information. "Not much. All I know is that you two are stationed in Vale." Bruno responded.

Emerald seemed to have been satisfied with this answer, despite the fact that she would have preferred the assassin not tell his colleague details about the plan. "Did Mercury give you the details?" Emerald asked.

"He said we were grabbing some documents. Is there anything else I need to know?" He asked.

"No. That's all you need to know." She said.

Once that was said and done, Emerald started to head towards the path leading to the harbor bordering the two kingdoms. "Come on." She said while walking through the various trees and shrubs in the forest.

"Guess Bruno isn't such a bad name after all," Mercury said with a chuckle.

"Shut up before I out us both." The voice of Brandon said from behind the various pieces of cloth.

 _ **...**_

 _"So what do you say? You in?" Mercury asked the supposed Bruno as the two sat across from one another on a bench near the harbor of the industrial district of the capital city._

 _However, one would easily be able to tell that it was Brandon who was sitting on the other side of the bench. "How come you need help with this job?" He asked with his arms crossed._

 _"Emerald's all paranoid with things going according to plan. I thought that having a little extra back up will let things run a little smoother." He explained._

 _"That's the other thing. You sure I should even be around her in the first place? We're not on good terms the last time I checked." Brandon pointed out as he recalled on the last time the two had met._

 _Mercury merely chuckled in response before saying, "Don't worry. I've thought about that and I've got an idea that'll work out for the both of us." He said with his usual smug expression on his face._

 _"I'm listening." He said._

 _"Remember the plan we came up with to rob the trade deal with the gangs of the capital city?" Mercury asked._

 _A visible look of disdain could be seen on his face at the mere mention of that incident. "I try to forget that ever happened. Not exactly our best work." Brandon explained while shaking his head._

 _"Remember when you disguised yourself as one of the gang members in order to grab the money from under their noses?" He asked._

 _It took him a few moments to recall the events of that day, though he eventually nodded none the less. "That's the ticket. All we have to do is cover you from head to toe and Emerald won't even be able to spot the difference." Mercury said._

 _"Only problem. Emerald isn't just some gang member. She's got an above average intelligence and isn't exactly one to leave out the minor details." Brandon pointed out._

 _"You sure do know a lot about someone you've only met once." He said with a rather suspicious expression._

 _The boy inwardly swore as he desperately attempted to come up with an explanation. "You vent about her all the time, and that one encounter was enough to get a read on how she operates." He responded._

 _Mercury sat there for a few moments as he thought upon the reason Brandon had given him. "Got it. Though don't worry about that, she won't be able to tell the difference between you and the average thug."_

 _"Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?" He thought to himself._

 _"Keep quiet around her. Talk too much and she'll be able to tell who you are." The assassin instructed._

 _Brandon merely stared at him with a rather deadpanned expression. "Right because I'm clearly known for talking for long periods of time." He said in a rather sarcastic manner._

 _"You're gonna need a cover story. You never know what she'll ask you to get information out of you." Mercury said. "Luckily for you, I've come up with a foolproof story that'll clear you of suspicion."_

 _"I hope you know that I haven't agreed to take the job." He commented._

 _The assassin cleared his throat before getting into the cover story that Brandon would use. "Firstly you'll need a new name. How about we call you Bruno instead?" Mercury asked._

 _"Just a moment, how come we're using a name that sounds similar to the one I already have?" He asked as he already noticed a problem with this so-called foolproof story that he made up._

 _"It was also the only one I could think of at the moment," Mercury explained with a shrug in his shoulders._

 _His partner was less than pleased with this response. "You do know that the whole point of an alias is to not draw attention to yourself," Brandon said while secretly hoping that the assassin knew this basic fact._

 _"Of course I know that!" He said. "You got a better name in mind?!" The assassin questioned._

 _"Not at the moment. Though something more basic would be the ideal choice." Brandon said with his arms crossed._

 _Mercury grumbled under his breath though decided to move on with the next part of this foolproof story that he had devised. "Next you'll have to say that we've known each other before I came to the capital city."_

 _"How come?" He asked._

 _"She'll get suspicious since you're the only one I ever interact with outside of work," Mercury said. "Our work requires a certain level of discretion, so our social lives aren't exactly in peak condition."_

 _He nodded his head in response to the assassins explanation. "This one will be easy. You'll have to say that you only know where I'm stationed when she asks you about what you know about the job I took."_

 _"Easy enough." He responded._

 _"Now here's the final part of this plan," Mercury said in a rather serious tone._

 _Something told Brandon that he wouldn't particularly like this final phase of the plan. "You can't use your powers around her. She'll be able to tell who you are without so much as a second thought, even with the disguise you'll have."_

 _Now he was willing to entertain the plan that the assassin that hatched, though giving up the use of his most reliable means of defense was not one of those plans. That being said, the least he could do was hear Mercury out._

 _"This better be a good plan." He said with his arms crossed._

 _"I get that this is a tall order. One well-placed bullet to the head would be enough to put you six feet underground." The assassin said._

 _Brandon merely stared at him with a rather deadpanned look on his face. "You know you've just given me a perfectly valid reason to not accept this job." He said while getting ready to leave._

 _"Pay would be good." He said._

 _He was slightly irritated that the assassin would automatically assume that he would take a job depending on the amount of money he was being rewarded with at the end of the contract. "How much are we talking about?"_

 _"I can't guarantee a set amount yet," Mercury said._

 _Though just as Brandon was about to leave in order to do better things, he was quickly stopped at the mention of a price range at least. "Though I can promise you that I can get you at least five thousand."_

 _It wasn't exactly the highest paying job he had heard in a while, though then again he wasn't exactly going around taking jobs for people since he was currently working on a contract that offered a reward of one million._

 _"Ten thousand at least. I'm not going any lower than that." Brandon said._

 _Mercury was slightly aggravated at the rise in price though he was able to get the cooperation of the boy. "Deal! Ten thousand at the end of the job!" He said while holding his hand out in order to seal the deal._

 _"Pleasure doing business with you. So what are the details of this job in the first place?" He asked while firmly shaking the hand of the assassin._

 _Once he told Brandon everything that Emerald and he had talked about, with some notable exceptions, he merely sat there in silence as he pinched his chin with his right hand. "So we're going to pick up some document at the border?" He asked._

 _"That's pretty much the gist of it. Shouldn't be too difficult of a task. You might not even need to use those powers of yours." Mercury said with his arms crossed._

 _"How long do I have to prepare?" He asked._

 _"About a week or so. We have to meet Emerald at the forest just outside of the harbor the day before the carrier arrives." The assassin explained as he stretched out his arms._

 _He was right, this job sounded simple enough when he actually explained it. Not only that though he had quite the amount of time to prepare for the trip in question. "Make sure you bring your papers as well," Mercury said._

 _Brandon had no idea what he meant when he said that, though before he could even question him he held out his finger in order to silence him. "Hold that thought." He said as he got out his scroll._

 _"...Got it. I'll be there in a bit." With that, he proceeded to stand up from the wooden bench the two were sitting at. "Gotta go." He said while running in the opposite direction, leaving Brandon to stand there in a rather confused manner._

 ** _..._**

Upon arriving at the front gates one would be greeted to a guard sitting on the inside of the security booth. The work station was rather well organized and he could be seen sitting on his rolling chair patiently.

An alarm could be heard coming from the watch he had strapped onto his wrist. The man proceeded to reset the timer he had on his watch without letting it ring twice before pushing the red button on the communication device he had on his front desk.

"Dexter. Check-in." He said.

Though the only thing he was met with was the sound of silence. "Dexter! Check-in!" The man said once more.

His attempts to contact his subordinate was met with a similar response much to the dismay of the security guard. "Dexter for the love of god! Pick up the damn call!" He shouted into the device.

A few seconds passed until a voice could be heard coming from the radio on the guard's front desk. _"Is there something you need? I'm on break."_ Dexter questioned in a rather tired tone.

"Break? We don't get breaks! We're security guards!" He said.

 _"Isn't that illegal or something? I'm pretty sure that's illegal."_ He said in the same tone he had before.

The guard in question grumbled to himself before regaining his composure. "No, it's not illegal! Didn't you read the Vale Security Guard Handbook?!" He asked his partner in a stern tone.

 _"Simmons. No one read the Vale Security Guard Handbook."_ Dexter said to the newly named Simmons.

He proceeded to grab onto the handbook in question before turning to one of the pages that he had bookmarked. "Right here! It's in the section on the Border Patrol! Subsection two point nine c! Page ninety-four, third paragraph!" He read aloud.

 _"You are going to die alone."_ He commented.

"I'm not the one who got chewed out from Sarge this year about neglecting protocol," Simmons commented.

 _"That was one time!"_ Dexter defended as his tone changed rather drastically.

His partner merely sighed while closing the handbook he had on his front desk. "That isn't the point! You can't just let people through like that without going through the proper protocols!" He said.

 _"Now you're starting to sound like Sarge."_ He said.

"Dexter!" Simmons warned as he was starting to get quite tired of his partner's shenanigans.

The Security Guard merely let out a sigh before responding. _"It's just the same thing that happens every other day of the week. Just checking papers and documents. Are you happy now?"_ He asked.

"I would have been happier with that response earlier." He grumbled.

 _"Can't please everyone I guess,"_ Dexter said.

A few moments of silence passed before the security guard over at the capital city spoke up once more. _"Hey. You ever wonder who would win in a fight between Adam Taurus and General Ironwood?"_

"Don't you have a job to do?" Simmons growled.

 _"Oh come on! You know just as well as I do that nothing ever happens! So come on! Ironwood or Taurus?"_ He questioned.

The guard leaned back in his chair in order to contemplate who would win in this matchup that Dexter had devised for the two to pass the time. "Ironwood would win! He's been the proud leader of the Atlas Army for decades now!"

 _"Even when the Sarge isn't here you're still a kiss ass."_

"What's that supposed to mean?!" He asked.

As if on cue, Dexter proceeded to pull up a recording of one of Sarge's lectures. _"Ah, General Ironwood! Proudly serving the Atlas Military for decades now!"_ The rough and gruff voice said.

"...That proves nothing."

 _"Admit it. You're only saying that General Ironwood would win because that's exactly what Sarge would say."_ He accused.

Simmons stammered on for a few moments before eventually responding with, "Half of his body is made out of Atlas Tech! I'm sure there's a bunch of things he could do that not even his highest ranking officers know about!"

 _"Have you seen Taurus's weapon?! It's a god damn katana sword!"_ Dexter said.

"It's called a Chokutō." Simmons clarified.

This caused the security guard to sigh. _"Congrats, you've made katana swords lame. Besides! Taurus is way stronger then Ironwood! I heard that he took down an entire platoon of Atlas Robots with just his sword! He'd slice Ironwood in half before he could even react!"_

"No way! Ironwood would come up with a counter-attack before he even pulled out his sword!" He said.

 _"Be glad that Tucker isn't here to hear you say that,"_ Dexter commented. _"Wasn't Taurus in the Mining Revolution this year? Took on a bunch of Atlas Soldiers without breaking a sweat."_

Though before the two could continue to banter on about which warrior would win in single combat, Simmons could hear the sound of someone clearing their throat on the other side of the glass.

He turned around to see a group of colorful travelers standing on the other side of the guard station. One had a rather impatient expression on his face while the other seemed to be rather interested in the hypothetical death match between Ironwood and Taurus.

Simmons wasn't quite sure what to make of the third individual, as they were covered head to toe in clothing. "Hold on. I'll get back to you." Simmons said as he cut off the connection between the two.

The man cleared his throat before greeting the group. "Hello! Welcome to Land's Beginning!" He said.

"Right. We need to get into the harbor. Would you mind opening the front gates?" Emerald asked while pointing at the closed doors.

"I would be happy to! I just need to see your papers!" Simmons said.

She nodded her head before pulling out some sort of passport that was used to cross between the Kingdoms. "Hmm." The guard said while staring at the identification rather intently.

Emerald started to think that getting into the harbor wouldn't be as easy as she thought, though she let out a sigh of relief once she saw the man place the passport down onto the front desk.

"Have a good day ma'am!" He said once the girl retrieved her passport.

Mercury walked up to the front desk before sliding his identification under the glass window on the front desk. "It says here that you're an amputee," Simmons said while staring at the assassin with a rather suspicious expression on his face.

The only response he got from the boy was for him to pull up the jeans he was wearing in order to reveal the metallic legs he had. "...Have a good day sir!" He said, not wanting to make the situation more awkward than it already was.

"Next!" He shouted over to the cloth covered individual.

"..." Brandon finally understood what Mercury meant when he told him to retrieve his papers.

The only problem was that he technically wasn't a legal citizen of the Kingdom of Vale and he didn't have a passport to get into the harbor. "Can I just talk to you for a moment?" He whispered to the assassin.

He stared at the disguised boy with a rather confused expression though complied none the less. "Just show him the passport you brought," Mercury whispered once they were a fair distance away from the border checkpoint.

Brandon took off his goggles and scarf in order to stare at him with a worried look. "...For the love of god, please say you brought the papers." He pleaded.

"Why didn't you say I needed to bring them in the first place?!" He whispered rather loudly.

"I said bring your papers!" Mercury said.

"That's all you said! You never said anything about a passport!" Brandon growled.

From the looks of it, the situation was getting complicated before the group even got into the harbor. "Can't you just get over to the city and get it?!" He asked in a rather frustrated tone.

"You don't understand! I don't have a passport!" He said.

"...How were you even able to get into the capital in the first place?!" Mercury asked.

Brandon thought back to the encounter at the border checkpoint. "...I just walked on through. Though I doubt that would work with this guy." He said with the shrug of his shoulder as he understood that it was a rather outlandish explanation.

"...I've got an idea." The assassin whispered. "People slip through the borders all the time. All you have to do is convince the guard to let you through without the proper papers!"

"How am I supposed to do that?!" Brandon asked.

"Bribe him! Come up with some sob story! It shouldn't be that hard!" He said.

Once the two managed to come up with a plan, Mercury and Emerald proceeded to move into the harbor while Brandon attempted to convince the border guard to let him through.

"Hello there! I'll need to see some identification before I can let you through!" Simmons said.

He proceeded to remove the goggles and scarf he had wrapped around his head in order to give the security guard a clear view on what he looked like. People were more willing to trust someone when they weren't wearing a mask. "I'll be honest with you here. I don't have a passport." He admitted.

The two stood there in silence until the security guard managed to speak up. "I'm sorry sir. I can't let you through the border without the proper documents."

Now that he knew the truth, Brandon just had to figure out how to work around it. He decided to go with the whole sob story idea that Mercury had suggested, as bribery wasn't exactly a trick that would work on anyone.

At least he would be able to understand what type of person the guard was once he finished with the story. "Listen, I have family that lives in the harbor. I'd really like to see them." He said.

The security guard started to clench his fist in response. "...Without a passport, I'm afraid that I can't let you pass through the border. Those are the rules." Simmons said in a rather forced tone.

It was clear that what Brandon was saying was having some sort of an effect on him. "All I'm asking is for one day. One day and I'll be out of here." He said.

"Unless you are a Vale citizen then I cannot allow you to pass through the gates." He responded in a rather serious tone. "Perhaps I could give them a message?" The Security Guard questioned.

Now it was time to finally hammer in the final nail in the coffin. "I'd like to do it in person. It's very important." Brandon said.

"Can I ask what's bothering you?" Simmons asked.

He took a deep breath before gathering the strength to dig into some rather unpleasant memories. "I would like to apologize to someone. I trusted the wrong person and I paid the price for it."

"He said that he would double cross us once everything was said and done. I didn't listen to him though, I said that I never wanted to speak to him ever again." Brandon said with a rather saddened expression on his face.

"In the end, he was right. He managed to double cross us. Every promise he ever made to us was just empty." He said. "Now all I want to do now is to tell him that I'm sorry."

The security guard started to bite his lower lip in response. "I want to try to make things right. Before it's too late." He pleaded.

A few moments of suspenseful silence passed until Simmons reached over to the side of the desk in order to press the button that opened the gates. "Head on through." He whimpered.

"Thank you! I owe you one!"

"Have a good day!" Simmons said.

Brandon proceeded to put on his goggles and scarf in order to conceal his identity from Emerald. "Took you long enough," Emerald said while staring at him with a rather suspicious expression.

"Ran into a few complications with the border guard," Brandon said.

"We're in the harbor and that's all that should matter. All we have to do is wait for the carrier to arrive and get the documents." Mercury said in hopes to clear up all doubts that his partner was having.

"...I guess you have a point there. Come on you two, we should get to shelter before it gets dark out." Emerald said as she made her way through the streets of Lands Beginning.

Brandon made a mental note to acquire a passport once he got back to the capital city.

 _ **...**_

The next day came rather quickly and the rising sun could be seen shining on the pure blue waters of the ocean. It was a rather calming sight, or at least it would be if it weren't for the fact that I had to constantly hide from Emerald.

She was becoming more suspicious of our behavior as time went on and it was becoming increasingly more difficult to hide from her. Though now we're in the home stretch, all I have to do is just do this simple job and I can get out of here before she suspects anything.

At least that's what Mercury said it would be, though now that we're standing in front of the building where we were supposed to meet the carrier, I was having second thoughts.

"What's with all the security?" I asked as the three of us stood near the structure.

"These are pretty important documents. It's only natural that security would be present in case things go wrong." Mercury said while downing his last cup of instant coffee he had made beforehand.

Emerald merely scanned the area in order to get a read on the whole situation before getting too deep into it. "Are we expecting things to go wrong?" I questioned.

"No, it's just a simple job that won't go wrong!" The assassin shouted to Emerald as the conversation of her going through each possible negative outcome was still fresh within his mind.

"We can never be too careful. Though hopefully, nothing bad will happen." She said while turning her head to face us. "The carrier should arrive at the harbor soon. Are you two ready?"

I was about to say no, though Mercury quickly responded before I could say anything. "Yep. Don't worry, we're ready on our end!" He said with his usual confident grin plastered onto his face.

"Good. Come on, we should head to the meeting room now. Remember what we talked about Mercury." Emerald said.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" I growled while pulling the assassin to the side.

Once we were certain that Emerald wouldn't be able to eavesdrop on us, I pulled off the goggles and scarf I had in order to speak to him directly. "So what kind of documents are these exactly?"

"Important ones. That's all you need to know." Mercury said in a rather serious tone of voice.

"Must be some important documents with all this security on the sight," I commented.

In all honesty, I had a general idea of what these documents were though I just needed to be sure. "...I never told you this. Though the documents come from Haven Academy over in Mistral."

"Haven?" He never said anything about who put together the papers.

Not wanting to push what luck I had any further, I decided to drop the subject before Mercury became suspicious. "Guess that would explain the high security," I said while putting on the disguise I made.

"We should get going. Your partner is already suspicious enough as it is." The assassin let out a sigh of relief before the two of us started to head towards the front gates of the facility.

Emerald could be seen standing near the entrance to the facility with a rather impatient expression on her face. "These private conversations you two are having are getting very old." She commented.

"Don't worry. Just had to clear up a few things. No big deal." Mercury said in hopes to dismiss any doubt that his partner had.

His partner did not look amused in the slightest, though merely shook her head. "Come on you two." She said.

A wave of ease washed over the two of us once we were able to push Emeralds suspicious to the side once again. Though we were both aware that we wouldn't be able to keep up this charade for long.

Two guards could be seen holding rifles while standing near the front entrance to the facility. "This is a restricted area. State your business." One of them said while standing in front of the entrance to the building.

"We're here to pick up the papers for our employer," Emerald said.

"Identification." The other one demanded.

The girl in question nodded as she pulled out a badge that was provided to her. "Permission granted. I shall escort you to the meeting room." The guard on the right proceeded to escort us into the building.

Various other members of the security team could be seen wandering within the building with serious expressions. "Please wait in here until he arrives." He said as he unlocked the door.

I was about to follow the two into the room, though the security guard moved in front of the door before I could. "Only representatives of the buyer can enter the room. You will need to show identification."

The only response I gave him was a simple shrug. "Then you will have to remain outside until the transaction is done." He said without so much as moving an inch from the stop he was standing in.

"Don't cause trouble," Emerald said as she and her partner entered the room.

With that, the only thing I could really do was wait outside in the hallway.

About twenty minutes passed until I eventually heard the sound of footsteps coming from the other side of the hallway. I turned around to see two security guards escorting a man with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist.

"You may enter." He said before he moved away from the front door leading into the closed off room.

"Right." The messenger said as he entered the room with the briefcase still strapped to his wrist.

However, just as everything seemed to have gone as planned, I could see two suspicious individuals conversing with one another at the right end of the hallway. The one dresses as a guard handed the other one a key of some sort before returning to his post.

"...Do you know where the bathroom is?" I asked.

"Just down the hall and to the right. You'll need a key to get in though." The security guard said as he reached into his pocket in order to pull out the mandatory bathroom key that everyone got.

He fumbled a little though eventually found the keys in his front pants pocket. "Got it! Here you go." He said.

"Thanks. I'll be right back." I said before I got up and started to head through the various hallways in the building.

I was also secretly hoping that the person from earlier was not just using the bathroom, otherwise, this was going to be one awkward confrontation that I'll never be able to live down.

 _ **...**_

"The one time we're early just so happens to be when our carrier is late." Mercury could be seen pacing back and forth in the room with a rather impatient expression on his face.

"Just be glad that things aren't going wrong yet." Emerald was sitting down at the metal table in the center of the room with one of the books she had brought with her in order to pass the time.

As if on cue, the door leading to the hallway opened and a man with black hair could be seen walking in with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. "Are you two the representatives?" He asked while closing the doorway behind him.

"You sure took your time. Here I thought you weren't going to show." The assassin said with his arms crossed.

"I ran into some complications on the way here. Nothing to worry about."

Emerald proceeded to stand up from her chair suddenly while slamming her book on the front of the table. "What about the documents?! Are they damaged?!" This was about the last thing she needed right now.

The carrier merely shook his head before showing the two the undamaged case. "The case is undamaged so the papers are still in good condition." He said.

Once the girl let out a sigh of relief she proceeded to sit down on the chair on the other side of the table. "Let's get started then. Show us the documents." Emerald requested in a rather serious tone.

"No problem." He pulled out the key to the handcuffs in his pocket.

The messenger placed the briefcase onto the table before unlocking the hatches. "I have to say, being cuffed to a briefcase for nearly a week is not the most fun thing in the world."

Emerald and Mercury didn't pay much mind to the carrier in question. "Guess I'll just go now." He said before he started to walk towards the doorway.

"Hold on." The assassin said as he stepped in front of the man with his arms crossed. "We're not done here. Gotta make sure you didn't do anything to the documents." He said with his usual smirk plastered on his face.

"I don't know what you're talking about. We gave you the papers you asked for." He said with a rather defensive expression on his face.

Mercury merely chuckled while placing his hands on the man's shoulders. "Relax! As long as the records are in there you have nothing to worry about! Can never be too careful."

Emerald growled once she realized that her partner was mocking her caution.

Once she opened the case she started to inspect the papers that were neatly stacked inside and it didn't take her long to figure out that these were not the files that were supposed to be here.

"These aren't the documents we asked for," Emerald said while glaring at the messenger intensely.

"Would you look at that? Looks like we're gonna have to have a little chat!" Mercury shouted as he pushed the carrier onto the chair.

He walked on over to the lights that lit the room in order to turn off every light except the center one. This didn't do anything useful in particular, though it made things more dramatic in his head.

"I don't know what you're talking about! Those were the documents I was given!" The messenger said in a bewildered tone.

"Oh really?" Emerald was not amused at the man's feeble attempts to prove his innocence.

She proceeded to pull out one of the slips of papers from the briefcase before placing it in front of the carrier. "You mean to tell us that Haven Academy gave you the security report for this facility?"

"..." Even the carrier was able to understand that it would have been physically impossible for him to have had these documents before arriving at the harbor.

"Out with it! Where are the real documents?!" Mercury shouted while slamming his hand on the desk.

Normally this would be the part where Emerald reprimands her partner for his direct approach though this was a notable exception. "Talk now and we might let you off the hook."

"Hold on! I don't know anything about what you're talking about! I never saw the transcripts you were looking for!" The carrier slapped his hand onto his mouth once he realized what he let slip out.

Both Emerald and Mercury stared at the carrier with rather intense glares upon learning his knowledge of what was inside the suitcase. "Start talking," Emerald demanded while sitting up from her seat.

"Okay hold on! I knew that the documents in the briefcase weren't the transcripts you were looking for! Though that's all I was let in on!" The supposed carrier admitted while drops of sweat started to run down his forehead.

"Let in on? You mean there are others?" Mercury asked.

The man nodded in response to his question. "Do you know where the transcripts are?" Mercury growled while snarling at the supposed carrier.

However, the only response he got from the man was the sound of silence. "Damn it! I want answers! Even if I've gotta beat em out of ya!" He shouted while preparing his prosthetic legs for battle.

Emerald quickly stopped him before he could lay into the phony messenger. The two struggled for a few moments before Mercury shook her off in order to question her on her actions. "What the hell is your problem?!" He asked.

"You and I were specifically told not to cause trouble here! What you were about to do would have alerted every guard in the building!" Emerald whispered through her clenched teeth.

"Come on! This guy has it coming!" The assassin said while pointing his finger directly at the messenger in question.

"That isn't the point here! We can still get the transcripts without having to hurt anyone! Our assignment hasn't changed!" She said in hopes to get through to her partner before he did something that would completely ruin the operation.

Mercury growled for a few moments before eventually deactivating the combat cores that were stored in his legs. "Fine, we'll do it your way." He hissed while walking over towards the supposed carrier.

"How long have you known about the transcripts?" He questioned with a bitter expression.

"We've known about it for a week now. We heard about it from our connections in the capital city of Mistral." He explained.

This was not the response that the assassin had hoped for as he slammed his hands down on the table. "Damn it! For all we know the transcripts could be long gone now! Tell us where you stashed them!" He shouted.

Before the supposed carrier could come up with an explanation, Emerald quickly spoke up in order to give her piece to the group. "Hold on. We might not have to interrogate him to figure out where the documents are." Emerald said.

"The hell are you talking about?! He's already fessed up to knowing about the transcripts in the first place! A few minutes from now and we'll know an exact location!" Her partner said while slamming his right fist onto his left palm.

"Don't worry, I already know where the transcripts are located." She said while being careful not to mention the fact that the papers were for them.

Mercury and the carrier stared at her with rather confused expressions. "How in the hell do you know where the transcripts are?" Mercury asked his partner.

"I don't know the _exact_ location. Though I can prove that they're still in the building." Emerald said before proceeding to explain her line of thinking. "First off, he said that his group had connections in the capital city of Mistral, though never specifically said they were from the Kingdom." She explained while turning her head to face the false carrier in the first place.

"You there. Where are you from?" Emerald asked.

The man was unsure as to what this had to do with locating the transcripts though he answered her question none the less. "Our base of operation is located in the city of North Witch."

"One of the minor capitals of the Kingdom. Did you ever leave Vale once you learned about the transcripts?" She asked.

"No. We spent most of our time planning to infiltrate the facility in order to steal the documents." The man said, still not seeing the relevance of this line of questioning.

Emerald smirked in response to his answer. "Therefore, it would have been impossible for him to steal the papers before they had arrived in Lands Beginning." She said to her partner.

"You have a point there. Though how do you know the transcripts are in the building?" Mercury asked while rubbing his chin with his right hand.

"Come on. You haven't figured it out yet?" She asked her partner. "Think about it, these are the security reports from today's patrol. How would the people we're dealing with be able to swap the transcripts out for these reports?"

The assassin closed his eyes for a few moments before giving his response. "They would have to have made the swap while security was here." His eyes suddenly shot open once he figured out what Emerald was implying. "Meaning the transcripts are still in the building!"

"Exactly." She said.

Now only one question remained for the duo. "So how exactly are we gonna get the transcripts back?" Mercury asked in hopes that his partner would have planned for this exact scenario.

The response he got was not one that put him at ease. "I have no idea." She admitted.

"Are you serious?! Out of all the possible scenarios you could have planned for this just so happens to be the one you didn't account for?!" He shouted once his anger boiled over its limit.

"The whole plan hinged on secrecy! I thought that no one would have known about the transcripts!" Emerald said in a more quiet tone so that the guards didn't hear her.

Mercury groaned rather dramatically while dragging his hands across his face. "Great. Just great. We know where the documents are and we can't do jack shit about it." He said while kicking over the chair Emerald was originally sitting on.

"Calm down will you?! Let's sit down for a moment and come up with a plan. As long as security is on the sight I doubt anyone will be allowed to leave." She said.

Unbeknownst to her, Mercury had a general idea of how they could acquire the transcripts. Though he couldn't exactly reveal what he had in mind without revealing another piece of information.

 _"Don't screw us over, Brandon!"_ He thought to himself.

 _ **...**_

I continued to walk down the hallways of the building in order to locate the suspicious character from before. I was hoping that it was just a misunderstanding and that this person was just going to use the bathroom, though it never hurts to be sure of things.

Nothing seemed to be too out of the ordinary and the suspicious person didn't seem to notice I was tailing them in the first place.

Eventually, I could see the individual stop in front of some doorway near the end of the building. They pulled out the key before unlocking the door and stepping inside the room.

Once I heard the door close, I slowly sneaked over towards the entrance. No guards could be seen in the hallway, so I decided to stand up in order to prepare for the inevitable confrontation.

I took a deep breath and slowly turned the doorknob in hopes to get the jump on the suspicious individual.

Though all attempts in stealth were thwarted once I head the audible creaking noise coming from the door I was opening.

Once I heard footsteps coming from the other side of the doorway, I decided to just barge on through as I saw no point in trying to be discrete about it. Though once I actually entered the room, the suspicious individual was nowhere to be seen.

"How in the hell?" I asked to no one in particular once I closed the door.

It was an office of sorts as far as I could tell, with a bookshelf on the right side of the room and a desk at the very end. Before I could continue to inspect for clues, I heard the sound of a gun cocking from over near the doorway.

"You're not very good at tailing people." A female voice said.

Letting out a sigh, I turned around slowly in order to face the suspicious individual that I had been following. "Stealth has never been a strong suit of mine," I said.

From what I could see, the woman was holding some sort of briefcase that wasn't in her possession before she entered the room. "Who are you? You're not a member of security that's for sure." She said.

Seeing no point in hiding from the assailant, I decided to take off the goggles and scarf I had on. "I'm with the representatives of the buyer," I explained to the woman with the briefcase.

"Representatives?" The woman asked with a confused expression.

"The buyer couldn't make it to the deal so she sent her two right hands in order to retrieve the papers," I said while staring at the case holding the documents that Emerald and Mercury were looking for.

She managed to catch onto this and started to move backward's slowly. "You seem to be holding onto that rather tightly. Must be really important." I said while attempting to move slightly to the right in order to move towards the door. Though the woman caught onto what I was doing rather quickly and proceeded to pull back the hammer to her gun.

"Don't move. I don't want to hurt you though I will." She growled.

Guess that won't work on this one. "Do you have any idea what's in this briefcase?" The woman asked while holding the case close to her side.

"Transcripts."

"Not quite..." The woman paused for a few moments in order to do a quick double take. She was clearly not expecting a truthful answer, though I wasn't exactly going to try to hide the fact that I knew what we were here for. "Hold on, how in the hell do you know that?!"

I merely shrugged in response as I doubt she would have believed the actual reason behind why I knew this. "I have a few connections. So what exactly do you want transcripts for? Are you trying to become heroes or something?" I asked.

She merely shook her head in response to the question. "You kidding? Not everyone wants to fight monsters on a daily basis."

"Fair enough. So what are you after then?" I questioned.

"Do you have any idea how much transcripts could go for? The lengths people would go for to get their hands on documents like these?" The girl asked while holding the briefcase in her hand.

I merely shrugged once again in response. "People would pay a fortune to get transcripts like these. People have become rich overnight with these types of deals." She explained.

"Though forging transcripts is a serious crime," I said with an eyebrow raised.

"Getting caught using forged transcripts is a crime. All we're doing it selling it to the highest bidder."

She stood there in silence for a few moments before eventually lowering her gun slightly. "I got an idea. How about you pretend that you never saw us. It'll be like nothing ever happened." She offered.

"You mean you're not here alone?" I asked.

"Can never be too careful. Now I'm not gonna ask you again. Just walk away and pretend you didn't see anything or anyone." It was a tempting offer that's for sure.

Though once I started to outweigh the possible positives and negatives of accepting the deal, I came to a decision that would surely change the future events that were in store for this Kingdom.

Shade could be seen swiping the gun out of the hands of the assailant. Before she could even react, I caught the pistol before aiming the barrel at her head. "Hand over the briefcase."

"..." The woman seemed to be to preoccupied with the fact that some unknown force just knocked her gun out of her hands.

Growing impatient, I decided to use the power of the spirit in order to yank the briefcase out of her grasp. "Now I'm gonna make you an offer. Get out of here and pretend you never heard about these transcripts." I threatened while aiming the gun directly at her forehead.

This seemed to have broken her out of her shocked state as her expression quickly turned into an angered one. Before I could even subdue her silently, Shade proceeded to ram his palm onto her chest, causing her to go straight through the door.

Due to the sheer force behind the spirit, the doorway completely dislodged from the hinges. "I'm sure everyone on this floor heard that," I said while turning around to face Shade.

"Next time, could you be a little quieter?" I asked.

Just like every other time I tried to speak with him, he merely faded out of existence. I looked around to see a potential way to escape, as I doubt walking around in the building with this briefcase would be the best idea in the world.

I ran over towards one of the windows in order to peer down at the ground below. From the looks of it, most of the guards had heard about the commotion that was stirring from within the building.

Once I was certain that no one was around, I opened the window and proceeded to use the aid of Shade in order to safely land on the ground.

 _"Why can't anything be simple anymore?"_ With that thought in mind, I started to sneak around the facility in hopes to locate Emerald and Mercury.

 _ **...**_

Mercury was currently pacing around the room as he thought of a plan on how to get the transcripts back. "You got anything yet?" He asked his partner who was currently going through the notepad she had.

"I would have told you before. Keep thinking." Emerald said without looking up to face her partner.

The assassin merely grumbled before continuing to pace around the room.

Before the two could continue to think of a possible plan that wouldn't alert security, the guard standing at the front door quickly barged in with a rather serious expression plastered onto his face.

"Is there something wrong?" Emerald asked while using the table to hide the fact that she was currently aiming her revolver at the stomach of the false carrier.

"Just trouble on the second floor. Security is checking it out now." The guard said before pointing his finger at the briefcase. "Keep those papers safe! Don't let anyone in! Not even a member of security!" He shouted.

A few moments of silence passed until Mercury hatched a rather devious idea. "Actually officer, these aren't the papers that our buyer requested." He said while slightly pushing him into the room.

"Huh?" The man asked.

"As you can see these are the security reports from earlier today. Someone swapped out the real papers." Mercury said as Emerald got up from the chair she was in. The fake carrier was completely bewildered at the fact that the security guard didn't see her put away her the weapon she had, though she merely used her semblance in order to avoid suspicion on their end.

Victims of Emerald ability would hear a strange noise once it was activated, though the guard was too focused on the fact that the papers were stolen to notice. "Are you serious?! This is a clear violation!" The man shouted before slamming his hands onto the metallic table.

"Looks like you and I are gonna have a talk!" He said sat down on the chair.

Once Emerald and Mercury were certain that both parties were to busy with the confrontation, the two proceeded to leave the room in order to search for the missing transcripts.

"Guess that's one way to deal with the situation.," Emerald said as she scanned the hallway. "Wasn't the person you brought supposed to be out here?" She asked while her head darted from left to right.

"His name is Bruce." He said with his arms crossed.

Though his partner didn't seem to care all too much about what his name was. "You know I've been meaning to talk to you about that." Mercury froze in place once Emerald decided to speak up about her suspicions.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Don't be that way. Don't think I haven't noticed how you two have been acting. I want some straight answers and I want them now." She said.

A few drops of sweat fell down the forehead of the assassin. "Is now really the time to talk about this?" Mercury asked his partner in hopes to use the situation to his advantage.

His partner narrowed her eyes at him before letting out a sigh while rubbing the temples of her eyes. "We can deal with this later I suppose," Emerald said.

"Let's go." She said as she and her partner started to run down the halls of the building.

On the other side of the building, the woman from before could be seen lying unconscious on the ground. "I found a body!" One of the guards said as he kneeled down to inspect it.

"You two! Investigate the room!" He shouted before proceeding to lightly shake the woman awake.

She groaned as her eyes fluttered open. "That really hurt."

"Are you okay? Is nothing broken?" He questioned while turning his head over to the other two members of security. "She's alive!" He shouted over to the remaining members of security that were investigating the room.

Once a thorough investigation was undergone, one of the guards said, "No signs of anyone here! The windows are locked! Nothing's tampered with either!"

"Keep searching! This door didn't just fly off its hinges on its own!" He shouted before whispering something into the assailant's ear. "So what happened? You were supposed to grab the transcripts and get out of here." He whispered.

"I'm honestly just trying to comprehend all of this. It's all just so unbelievable." The woman said quietly.

The man merely stared at her with a rather confused expression. "What are you talking about? Did something weird happen?" He asked.

"Bit of an understatement there. Did you see someone strange wandering about while you were on guard?" She questioned and the man had to think about that for a few moments before giving a response.

"Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing this person completely wrapped in cloth wandering around the halls." He answered.

An audible growl could be heard from the woman. "That's the one. He managed to grab the transcripts. He used his strange powers to grab the briefcase and the gun I brought." She said.

"Strange powers? I think everyone these days have some weird abilities." He said.

"This one was different. He was possessed or something. I could see this strange armored figure next to him. Though I was knocked out before I could get a solid look." She said.

Even the supposed security guard had to admit that this was rather weird. "You mean like a ghost or something?" He asked.

"I guess. Even I'm not sure what that thing was. It only appeared for a split second before disappearing." The woman responded with.

"What are we gonna do?"

She sat there in silence for a few moments before giving him an answer. "We have to find that case." She whispered while attempting to get up from where she was sitting.

"Hold on. Are you sure that's a good idea? You said it yourself this man has some strange powers. We don't know what we'll be getting ourselves into. Maybe we should leave while we still have the chance." The man placed his hand on the woman's shoulder.

"It's nothing we can't deal with on our own." She said.

The supposed guard was still rather uncertain of this plan, though he nodded none the less. "I'm gonna questions this one. She might be able to give us answers about what happened here." He said.

 _ **...**_

"Over here! Make sure all exits to the facility are closed off! No one can leave or enter the building!" I heard one of the members of security say from around the corner of the structure.

Footsteps could be heard from around the corner of the building and all I could really do was hide behind some of the crates that were scattered around the courtyard. I let out a sigh before scanning the area in hopes to search for a way out of this mess.

Though I didn't fail to notice the sound of footsteps coming from around the corner. Once I was certain that the person would come to this direction I took a deep breath and aimed the gun at whoever could be ready to fight.

"Whoa! Easy there!" Mercury shouted while holding his hands up in a defensive manner.

I let out a sigh of relief before taking off the scarf and goggles I had in order to get some fresh air. "You've both been deceived though judging by the fact that you're even out here in the first place, I'm sure you've figured that out," I said.

The only response I got was for the assassin to make some weird hand gestures in front of his face. "What are you doing? Are you having a stroke or something?" I asked.

"I knew something was off the moment I saw you." I internally swore once I heard the voice of Emerald.

She walked out from behind her partner with a rather nasty glare on her face and her hands on both of the pistols she had on her person. "Figures you'd be here. You're like a magnet for trouble."

"Good to see you too," I said while lowering the gun that I took from the woman.

Though Emerald only took out the weapons she had brought with her. "What the hell are you doing here?! Are you here to steal the documents?!" She asked.

"Why would I steal something when I don't know what its value is?" It was probably for the best that neither of the two became aware of the fact that I knew what was in that briefcase.

She gritted her teeth once she realized that she had no outlet for her anger. "How come you brought him along?! He could have messed up the whole operation!" Emerald shouted at her partner.

I was about to tell her to keep it down in case some of the members of security heard us, though Mercury quickly bit back before I could. "What does it matter?! You act like he's one of our enemies!" He shouted.

"He _is_ one of our enemies! What don't you get about that?!" She shouted.

Now I was the one who was confused. "Oh really?! Because as far as I'm aware he hasn't actually done anything to have warranted that title!" Now the situation was starting to get too out of hand.

"Don't pretend you don't know what this is about!" Emerald shouted.

"So that's it! You think I'm gonna double cross you is that it?! I'm glad to see that our partnership has come so far ever since we started to work together!" He shouted at the girl.

Through all the yelling and banter I could hear the sound of footsteps coming from around the corner. I tried to speak up in order to inform the two, though Emerald and Mercury seemed to be to preoccupied with the argument to listen.

"What was I supposed to think?! You were going to betray us once everything was said and done!" She said.

"Are you serious?! I wasn't going to betray you! We're partners for god sake! All you seem to care about is her approval!" Mercury didn't seem to care that he accidentally slipped up on some information about the boss.

She stared at him with a rather furious expression once she heard her partner reveal said details. "Will you shut up?!" Emerald shouted.

"Emerald do this! Emerald do that! I'm sure I'd be six feet under to gain her recognition!" The assassin was not having any of this, not anymore.

"Of course I wouldn't! We're partners! Do you think I like the idea of you possible double crossing us?! I don't want to kill you! Why do you think I call him an enemy?!" She shouted.

Before the two could continue the banter, Shade manifested between the two in order to push both of them away from one another. Mercury and Emerald reeled back in response to the sudden force before saying, _"What the hell was that...?!"_

Though the question was answered before it could even have been asked once the duo caught sight of two rather suspicious individuals standing right in front of them. "...Are we interrupting something?" The woman from before merely hit the man in the side in response.

"Nowhere to run now." She growled as she pulled out another weapon. "Give us the transcripts now! We don't want to hurt you though we will!"

"God damn it!" Mercury swore once the assailant revealed what was within the briefcase.

Perhaps it would be for the best that he never knew that I was aware of what was in the case beforehand. "Just hand it over. No one has to get hurt." The supposed security guard pulled out a rather large shotgun.

"Don't you dare!" Emerald shouted while pointing her pistols at the two criminals.

"Just get out of here! We'll deal with these idiots!" Mercury said while activating the cores in his legs.

I merely stood there while I thought upon the situation and I eventually came to a decision as to what I wanted to do. I loosened the grip I had on the briefcase and placed it down onto the stone ground.

"What the hell is he doing?!" The girl whispered over to her partner.

"Don't ask me! I'm just as confused as you are!" He said.

I placed the gun and the sword I had onto the ground before I started to walk over towards the assailants. "I'm gonna give you the same offer I gave you before. Get out of here and pretend you never even heard about these transcripts."

Though from the looks of it, she was dead set on getting the briefcase that was just sitting on the ground.

"I get why you're doing this. We've all done some questionable things just to get by in this world. It's a harsh place and that doesn't make us any less human for it." I said in hopes to get through to the woman.

Even I could tell that the supposed security guard didn't even want to be here. "Though don't throw away what life you have because of greed. I've seen it take way too many people in the past. Even I almost lost everything because of it." I started to dig into some rather unpleasant memories.

"Once greed gets a hold of you, it never let's go. No matter what you do, you're never satisfied. All you're left with is just an empty void that can never be filled in no matter how hard you try to satisfy it."

Things seemed to have started to calm down as the woman started to lower the gun. "Just get out of here and pretend that you never even hear about these transcripts. You don't want to be another one that fell victim to greed."

"...Come on. Let's go." The leader of the group said once she holstered her weapon.

"Hold on. Shouldn't we do something about him?" He asked while pointing his right index finger over at the window of the room where Emerald and Mercury originally were.

She started to scratch her chin in order to think of a plan to retrieve the last remaining member of the group. "You're still wearing that security uniform. Just say you're gonna handle the questioning from here and get him out of there." She said as the two walked off towards the entrance of the building.

I let out a heavy sigh of relief, even though there were some rather unpleasant memories arising in response to the conversation we had. I grabbed onto the handle of the briefcase and offered it to Emerald.

"Here you go," I said as I handed her the case.

"Aren't you the least bit curious as to why we want these transcripts?" She asked with a rather bewildered expression on her face.

I merely shook my head in response. "Not really. I'm sure you have your reasons." I lied.

"..." I heard her mumble something under her breath, though it wasn't really all that clear so I wasn't able to hear it. "Did you say something? You mumbled there." I pointed out.

She tried to say what she had said earlier a little louder this time, though even then it still wasn't exactly clear. "Still didn't quite catch that. You're gonna have to speak up."

That or at least speak normally. "I'm not very good at this sort of things," Emerald admitted.

Mercury finally spoke up as he wasn't able to deal with how this conversation was going. "I think what she's trying to say is that she's sorry for how harshly she treated you before." He said with his arms crossed.

"Yeah. I'm sorry." She apologized while holding her hand out for a handshake.

I never had an issue with her so I suppose I could accept her apology. "Don't worry about it," I said before I grasped onto her hand in order to accept the peace offering she was making.

"Thank you. I've never been too good with apologies before." Emerald said and Mercury nodded in order to confirm this statement.

"You know something has been bothering ever since we met all those months ago."

There was something I was able to notice about her during the few times that I've met her. "How were you able to figure out about the spirits to quickly? Most wouldn't come such a conclusion."

"Simple. I've met one of the Eleven Great Knights in the past." She said.

An audible record scratch could be heard within our heads once we managed to process that information. "Huh?!" Emerald suddenly jumped at the sheer volume of our voices.

"Hold on, how come you never mentioned this before?!" Mercury asked.

"It never really came up!" She said with the shrug of her shoulders.

This was the chance I've been looking for! Someone who came into direct contact with one of the Great Knights! "Emerald! I need to know everything you know about the Knights!"

"Whoa! Hold on there! I only ever met the one! It was just a one time encounter!" The hopeful expression I had suddenly turned into a disappointed one once I realized that she wouldn't the answers to Shade's origins.

Emerald caught onto this and began her line of questioning. "Hold on. You don't even know anything about Shade?" I was confused as to how she even knew his name in the first place.

"Mercury said something about it." She answered.

I merely stared at the assassin with a deadpanned expression before responding with, "I've been searching for the answers to his origin ever since I acquired him in the forest." I explained.

"Though so far, no one has had the answers I've been searching for," I said.

Emerald nodded her head before asking, "Can't you just ask Shade yourself? The Great Knights are capable of speech as far as I can remember."

"I've tried. Though every attempt is just met with radio silence. I can't seem to get a response out of him no matter what I say." Not that there was anything I could do about it in the first place.

"Sounds frustrating."

"You have no idea," I responded.

Though speaking of the names of the Spirits. "What was the Great Knights name?" I asked and Emerald could be seen with a rare smile on her face once she mentioned the name of the Knight.

"Conifer."

 ** _..._**

 ** _Thus another chapter of our story comes to a close._**

 ** _Growing more and more suspicious of her partner as the days go by, Emerald reaches out to the Fall Maiden in hopes to attain instructions on what to do next._**

 ** _The Maiden instructs her right hand to keep a watchful eye on her partner before giving her instructions to go to Lands Beginning in order to retrieve the transcripts needed for the two to sneak into the school._**

 ** _Such an opperation is of great importance and Emerald is not one to cut corners when it comes to mapping out possible plans that could aid her in jobs or in battle._**

 ** _While this was going on, Mercury proceeds to recruit our hero in hopes to increase their chances of success. He accepts, despite knowing that the girl who had loathed him would be present there._**

 ** _Though through all this secrecy and deception, a group of criminals hatched a plan to swipe the transcripts from right under the noses of Mercury and Emerald._**

 ** _Fortunately for our hero, he was able to catch the group of criminals and retrieve the stolen documents. In order to do so, he had to reach deep into some rather unpleasant memories._**

 ** _Once our hero managed to gain the trust of Emerald, he managed to learn that she came into contact with one of the Great Knights. A Knight with the simple name of Conifer._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _I wonder how that old fool is doing after all these years?_**

 _ **Credits**_

 _ **Writer: Quebec**_

 _ **Editor: Smitten**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: A Simple Light**_


	19. A Simple Light

_**The Story so Far... Our hero had accepted a job to help oversee an exchange of documents near Lands Beginning, though he would soon find out that such a task would be far more complicated than he originally expected.**_

 _ **During this exchange of papers, he met Emerald Sustrai, a girl who did not hold our hero in the highest regard. She believed that her partner was plotting against the cause the two fought for.**_

 _ **He had to keep his identity a secret for the duration of the job, though his identity was revealed once a group of criminals tried to steal the transcripts from under the nose of the group.**_

 ** _Once the dust had settled, he was able to obtain some information about one of the Great Knights of the White Kingdom, though he still found no answers on the origin of Shade._**

 ** _Perhaps those questions can be given answers at a later time, as there are far more pressing matters to attend to. Ones that have required the attention of our heroes since the very beginning of this story._**

 _ **...**_

 _ **A Simple Light**_

The Great Knights of the White Kingdom.

So many stories were told about each of the Eleven Knights, though the existence of these combatants has never been proved. According to most people, the Great Knights are nothing more than fiction.

Very few have ever encountered these champions and those who have tended to think it is but a mere hallucination. This does not mean there is no one who has seen first hand what these beings are capable of.

There are even those who have the opportunity to fight beside Knights of this magnitude. The Great Knights were and still are top of the grade warriors chosen by the White Queen herself.

Hegemol the Mighty, considered to be one of the strongest members of the Knights Order in the White Kingdom. Known for his pure, unhinged strength, his thunderous steps would shake the ground beneath him and his mighty mace would smash even the strongest of defenses.

Dry the Fierce, right hand to the White Queen and her Kingdom. She had served her queen for countless millennia and would use her trusty blade to strike down all threats that opposed the city.

Ogre the Loyal, the most loyal member of the Knights Order. His cries of war could be heard all throughout the kingdom and his harden shell has protected the Order from the most treachours of attacks.

E'Mer the Wise, who has earned the reputation of being one of the most knowledgeable members of the Knights Order. Her vast amount of knowledge that she holds can only be compared to the sheer strength she has in her possession.

Imelda the Kind, considered the kindest and gentlest of each Knight in the White Queen. Though do not expect her to show the same kindness in the field of battle, as she does not take kindly to those she deems as her enemies.

Quill the Absent, one who seems to appear at the most convenient of times. He has proved himself to be a valuable asset to the Knights Order and the mask he wears on his head proves to be quite useful in battle.

Conifer the Explorer, quite the curious fellow and has had a few encounters with mankind over the years. Emerald managed to acquire the maps he had during her chance encounter with the Knight.

Slate the Wandering, creator of some of the most legendary of sword techniques in history. He has mastered the art of the blade and wishes to pass down his teachings to a worthy pupil.

Tiso the Protector, the most avid defender in the Knights Order. His shield keeps the people of the capital city safe from those who wish to cause harm to it and protects mankind from the monsters of this world.

The Righteous Kingslayers, two Knights that were once enemies were turned into allies due to the intervention of the White Queen. Now the two aid one another in hunting down those who stray from the path of righteousness.

Sharp the Tame, once one of the most notorious hitmen in the White Kingdom. Though now he serves under the rule of the queen herself in order to protect the capital city alongside the rest of the Order.

Eleven Great Knights, each with countless stories and tales listing the various exploits and adventures each knight has had. There were dozens of books about these champions. So it was rather alarming that I wasn't able to find a single sentence about the origins of Shade. No matter how hard and long I searched there wasn't even a single shred of evidence that he ever existed in the first place.

I've asked Emerald, who encountered one of the Great Knights during her childhood and she wasn't able to come up with an answer. The more I read into the matter the more confused I get about who I met all those months ago. On a brighter note, I was able to ease the tension between the two of us. It wasn't exactly something I was planning to do though I suppose it was nice to stand on common ground with Emerald.

The Archeologist was meeting with Headmaster Ozpin in order to discuss possible plans on how to locate Victor Merlot and his creations. So I was left to watch over the house until she returns. Perhaps these skills that I've learned will come in handy in the near future once this situation with the madman is done and over. People have to make some money somehow so I figured I might as well use the lessons that I've learned to do just that. I wasn't sure where I'd go once we located Victor and stopped his creations from killing more people. One thing was certain though, I wasn't about to stick around knowing what would happen to the capital city.

One might ask why I wouldn't use the powers of Shade to somehow stop the events to come. For one, I'm just one person up against countless monsters and people with magical powers who can kill even the most skilled of fighters without too much effort. Secondly, I'm not exactly difficult to kill all things considered. I've got a lot of power and I've been able to manage with everything that's happened so far though each threat I've fought has either been monsters or the average criminal.

The only reason I was able to win fights was due to the fact that the opponents I've faced automatically assume I have an aura. Once that ruse was lifted, one well-placed shot would be enough to do the deed. I didn't particularly enjoy the thought of abandoning the capital city though I did enjoy living what life I had. Not like this planet is short on heroes who would easily lay down everything to save the world.

Right now I was sitting down on the sofa with a few books on the wooden table in the center of the living room. I pondered on what I wanted to do for the day until I heard someone knocking at the front door.

Wasn't really expecting anyone at the moment so I wasn't sure on whether or not I wanted to answer the door in the first place. I wasn't exactly in the mood to entertain yet another one of Mercury's ideas to get some money because it usually doesn't turn out great. Not only that though I had quite the number of things to handle in the first place so Yatsuhashi's mission to spy on the organization can be done without help. Speaking of which, Velvet was able to fix that radio that we got a few weeks ago. Emerald shouldn't even know where I live so that would be a whole different issue.

So imagine the surprise I felt when I saw a certain brown and pink-haired woman standing in front of the door with her usual umbrella over her shoulder. I didn't even give her the time of day, all I did was slam the door in her face. As soon as I entered the living room though I could see her sitting on one of the chairs next to the sofa.

She did not have a pleased expression on her face. The woman started to do the various hand gestures that were used in sign language but eventually stopped once she realized I had no idea what she was even saying. Neo started to type something down in her scroll and held it out so that I could read it.

I grabbed onto the device and started to see what she wanted to say. _"You know, most people would say hello rather than slam the door on a guest."_ The message read in a fancy looking font.

"How do you even know where I live?"

She had a deadpanned expression on her face and I realized that she wasn't able to respond without having her scroll. I handed the device back to her and she proceeded to type in her response. _"I'm in cahoots with one of the most notorious criminals in all of Vale. It wasn't too hard to track you down."_ She responded. _"I've been keeping an eye on you ever since that one incident a few months ago."_

"Was there something you needed?" I stared at her with a curious expression.

The woman merely nodded her head and continued to use her scroll as a means of communication. _"You do jobs for money. I have a contract that might interest you."_ The message read.

"How could you know what I'm interested in? We barely even know each other. We've only ever met once." I accused.

She started to type another message in her scroll. _"I know tons about you. I've been interested in you for nearly half of the year. Most of the others barely hold what attention I have for an entire day."_ The woman picked up on the particular phrasing of her message and proceeded to clear things up before I could jump to conclusions. _"Not that way. That would just be wrong."_

"Do you even know what I'm named?" I asked.

Neo sat on the soft chair without moving her fingers. Small drops of sweat started to run down her forehead once she realized she didn't even know the answer to that question. _"You're Bruno."_

"Brandon," I answered.

 _"Close enough."_

I sighed in response and started to walk towards the front door to the house. "I'm not taking jobs right now. Come back later or something." I opened the door and motioned for the girl to leave.

Before I could open the door any further, the multi-colored slammed the door shut. The woman had a rather serious expression on her face. _"I don't recall ever asking you. You're going and that's final. You'll be paid once the job is done._ _"_ She started to type a message before I could even give her a response. _"You're the only one I can turn to right now. I can't pass up an opportunity like this."_ The woman said.

Her behavior was rather strange as she didn't seem like the kind of person who would need help with anything. I started to contemplate on what I should do and decided that I would at least hear her out. "So what are the details of this contract? I would at least like to know what you want us to do before I make a decision." I said as the two of us proceeded to move back towards the living room in order to discuss the specifics of what we would need to do.

 _"We're going to hunt down and eliminate a target."_ The message said.

"Can't you get Mercury to do this then? I'm sure he wouldn't mind going back to his roots for just one day."

The multi-colored hair girl shook her head before responding, _"You can't be serious. Do you honestly think that I would entrust such an important task to a buffoon like that? I might as well have done it on my own."_ She responded with her arms crossed.

"Who exactly are we hunting?"

She started to go through the various files on her scroll before placing it onto the wooden table. She was hunting for a forty-nine-year-old man named Jones. He was 6'2 and had a pale complexion though this wasn't the thing that stood out. "He's been in the Vale Correctional Facility for nearly eight years now. How exactly do you expect to get in there without being noticed by the guards?" I asked with a curious expression.

The woman merely had a deadpanned expression on her face and it didn't take long to piece two and two together. "So I'm gonna be your accomplice is that it?" She nodded in response and started to type a message on her scroll.

 _"He's the scum of the world. I can guarantee you that nobody will miss him."_ The woman explained. _"All you have to do is make sure none of the guards cause trouble."_

Before I gave her an answer there were still a few questions I had. "So why do you want to kill this guy? This doesn't exactly look like something a solicitor gave you." I pointed out in a rather curious manner.

 _"I have reasons for wanting this man dead. Same as anyone else who has encountered him."_ She said. _"It's as I said. He's the scum of the world and I want to make sure he rots in hell."_

"...So how much are you paying?" I asked.

The deadpanned expression that was on the woman's face turned into a pleased one. _"So you're interested in the job?"_ The woman questioned.

"I never said that. I just want to know what you're offering just in case I do wind up taking you up on this offer." She was slightly disappointed at this job though she expected as much.

She nodded her head before giving her response. _"The highest I will go is one-thousand."_ It wasn't a bad price considering all I would really be doing is watching the guards in case things went wrong.

"Jones is the only one who will die?" I asked and depending on her response will determine whether or not I decline or accept her offer. The woman nodded her head with a very serious expression on her face. "...You got yourself a deal." The two of us shook hands in order to seal the terms of the contract she had offered.

"So when are we leaving?" I asked as she got up from the soft chair in the living room.

 _"Jones will be moved to His Majesty's Prison Service tonight. So we have to leave now or else we won't get another opportunity like this."_ His Majesty's Prison Service was one of the most heavily guarded prisons in the entire world so I suppose that explains why she seems like she's in a rush to get this job done.

 _ **...**_

The Vale Correctional Facility, a prison located in the capital city of the Kingdom of Vale.

Being in the capital city, it was rather difficult to escape from the concrete walls that surround it. The entire facility was crawling with guards and each cell was monitored on a regular basis. This doesn't mean that it's completely impossible to break out of the capitals correctional facility. Few have managed to pull off this feat, one of which being Roman Torchwick, one of the most notorious criminals in all of Vale. It was one of the many feats he had pulled off in order to obtain the reputation he has today.

What we were about to do was quite the opposite of what Roman did during the earlier days of his crime streak. Rather than trying to escape with someone from the correctional facility, we were trying to hunt someone down who was still there. Time was of the essence as Jones would soon be transferred over to the maximum-security prison across the sea. At most, we only had twelve hours before the Vale Army came and took him away.

Can't say this would be the hardest operation I've ever had to do as I only need to watch the guards in case suspicion started to arise within the ranks of the correctional facility. On the other hand, this job did have tension to it as I doubt we would just get a slap on the wrist for getting caught. Though Neo seems rather determined to get to this man for whatever reason so I suppose I should have faith in her abilities.

Though there was one issue that came up during the whole preparation process.

"I need to do what now?" I asked while putting on the security uniform that the guards used throughout the building. She had a similar uniform though her appearance was drastically altered.

 _"You'll need to speak into this communicator so I can interrogate Jones in his cell."_ She was holding out some sort of microphone that was connected to a device attached to her throat.

Being on a need to know basis is starting to get very old. "How come you never mentioned this earlier?" I asked the disguised woman in a rather frustrated tone of voice.

 _"I didn't think it mattered. All you have to be concerned with is keeping the security guards at bay until the deed is done. No one else but Jones is dying today so there shouldn't be an issue."_ She didn't seem to understand the point I was trying to make.

"That's just it! You only said you were here to kill him! Not interrogate him!" I pointed at her in an accusing manner.

Neo merely shrugged in response. _"Assassination or interrogation. Doesn't matter in the end. You'll be paid once this is all over and that's all you should concern yourself with. I have reasons for wanting information out of Jones."_ She said.

Every suspicion I had was confirmed with her behavior. "Now I get it. This isn't just some everyday contract for you. You have personal reasons for wanting to meet with this guy don't you?"

Her face quickly turned into a scowl. _"Whether or not I have a personal vendetta against Jones is none of your business! Just do the job you were given!"_

"I'm not about to help you settle some personal grudge that you have with a prisoner here. No matter how much money you have to offer." I was about to head on back to the house to wait for Maralyn though I stopped once I felt something sharp along the side of my neck.

 _"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for an opportunity like this? I'm not about to let it slip! Not again!"_ Even though she didn't have a voice I could feel the weight coming from the words that were on the screen. She didn't care about how against the idea I was, all she wanted was to speak to Jones for one reason or another. This woman was not going to take no for an answer.

I let out a sigh and turned to face the woman directly. "I'll help you. I might not agree with how we're doing this though I'll help you none the less." Not that I had much of a choice in the first place. The woman nodded her head and proceeded to move the blade she had away from my neck. Her umbrella was now disguised as a simple sheath with the security emblem etched onto the side.

 _"Let's not keep Jones waiting then."_ With that, the two of us proceeded to enter the compound disguised as security guards. I pulled out the forged credentials that Neo had given to me in order to examine them. I had the same alias I used from when I was doing that exchange job with Emerald and Mercury though I'm sure that she actually believed this was my real name.

From the looks of it, I was one of the security guards that ran the security room. Hopefully all I would have to do during this job would be to simply keep watch for any guards because I don't know the first thing about running a security terminal.

The stone gates were high and watchtowers could be seen all around the facility with two guards standing on the runway of each tower. Various prisoners could be seen outside in the courtyard of the facility and guards were keeping a close eye on each one. When we arrived at the front gates leading to the facility, one of the two guards standing near the front door to the compound stood in our way. "I'll need to see some identification." He said.

We both proceeded to pull out our forged credentials in order to show them to the two guards at the front door. The two members of security examined them before moving away from the door in order to let us in.

"Follow John here. He'll lead you to the camera room." The guard on the right said as Arnold opened the door to the main compound. The woman started to move through the hallways of the building with a determined expression on her face. I was still suspicious about the reason behind her motivation for killing Jones, though I suppose I'll be able to figure it out sooner or later.

I was starting to get a little on edge once I saw the sheer number of guards wandering the building with various riffles and weapons that I wasn't familiar with. I suppose security in this world would be well armed since a good number of the population has superpowers. Though I doubt it would help much since a year from now there won't really be anything to guard.

Suddenly, I felt someone grab onto one of my shoulders ever so suddenly. "You okay? You look like you've swallowed something bad." John questioned with a rather concerned expression on his face.

"Don't worry. I'm fine. I just didn't sleep all to well last night." I lied in hopes to dismiss the concerns of the guard. The last thing I needed was for him to think there was something wrong. Once we arrived at the front door to the security room, we parted ways in order to carry out our specific duties. I took a deep breath and grasped onto the doorknob to the security room and stepped inside.

The security terminal at the end of the room was far more complex than anything I had ever seen. Though fortunately I wasn't tasked with handling the security, all I had to do was watch the terminals in order to search for possible guards that could be around the corner. I sat on the rolling chair in front of the terminal and started to search for the woman.

It took quite a bit of time to locate her, though I could eventually see her walking through the hallway leading to the high-security prison cells. She was rapidly changing her appearance in order to avoid suspicion. I guess this is why she wanted someone she knew at the security terminal, anyone else would have alerted the facility without so much as a second thought.

I pulled out the communicator and pressed the button on the side of the device in order to speak to the woman. "I'm at the security terminal." I knew she wouldn't be able to respond though I thought she would appreciate being informed about the situation. She merely nodded her head and continued to walk through the hallways of the facility in order to locate Jones.

She eventually arrived at the man's prison cell and proceeded to enter the room in order to confront the man. Fortunately, there was a camera inside the prison cell so I'd be able to monitor her movements. The man wore a red jumpsuit and had a large bushy beard with no hair on his head. The man opened his eyes and stared at the woman before him.

 _"Is it time?"_ He asked in his rough and raspy tone of voice.

The woman proceeded to stare at the camera while pointing to the device she had wrapped around her neck. I suppose that was the signal to start speaking into the device I had, as well as start to read the words that were on the slip of paper she had given to me before we entered the building. The words "Destroy After Reading" were written on the very top of the page.

I activated the device and started to read the words that were on the paper. "I want names, now." I suppose that answers one of the questions I had. The man stared at her with a rather confused expression on his face.

 _"What the hell are you talking about? Names? I've been here for eight years. I don't know anything anymore."_ He said to the woman before him. _"I have nothing to say to you. Just get out of here and bring in the transfer guards."_

She clenched her fist and walked over to the man with a glare on her face. Though it didn't seem to phase the man all that much as he didn't even look up to face the woman before him. She turned her head to face the security camera and pointed her finger at one of her hands. It was a signal to keep on reading the phrases that were on the slip of paper I had.

"You either start talking or you'll die before you even leave this cell," I said into the communication device.

 _"Die? You're a security guard. You'll lose everything if they figure out what you did."_ It seems he was attempting to call her bluff, though he wasn't aware of all of the facts that were present in the situation.

"Implying I'm a member of the security staff in the first place." This seemed to have gotten his attention as his head shot straight up once he was aware of this new development.

 _"Hold on. What are you talking about? Who in the hell are you?"_ He was starting to panic, though he was still trying to keep his composure in order to keep a hold on the encounter.

The woman proceeded to drop her disguise in order to reveal her true appearance. She stared at the man with a glare and she held the handle of her blade in a rather tight manner. He stared at her for a few moments in hopes to identify who exactly she was. "It was on November 21st. The year was 876." So she wanted to know about a specific event that happened in the year 876.

 _"...Now I remember you. You were that kid. The one with the brown hair."_ Sweat started to form on the forehead of the man once he realized who she was. The woman proceeded to unsheath the blade she had. _"Look, we didn't have a choice back then. We never had a choice."_ He was trying to explain to her why he did what he did though she wasn't having any of it.

She placed the blade on the edge of the man's neck and glared at him. At this point, I had to read the situation that was going and in order to formulate a response. "I don't give a damn about what happened to you. I just want names! Now!"

The woman started to drag the blade along the man's neck in order to further threaten the man. _"Alright! I'll tell you what you want to know! I swear!"_ He said in hopes to get a hold of the situation. _"Johnathan Steel! He runs a company in the Kingdom of Atlas! He was the one who orchestrated the whole ordeal! Do you want revenge?! You go to him!"_

I haven't heard of the name, though I'm sure it will have some significance to the woman in that cell. She got the answer she was looking for, though rather than letting him go, she grabbed onto his neck and held him up in the air. _"H-Hold on! I gave you the information you wanted! I've got nothing left!"_ At this point, he was doing whatever he could to get out of this situation alive.

Though the woman had no intention of letting him live to see another day. I looked at the bottom of the page and started to read the words that were scribbled on the bottom of the slip of paper. "It was never about revenge. You took away the voice I had. Now I'm going to make sure that you can never hurt anyone ever again." With that, the woman proceeded to stab the man through the heart with the blade she had.

He started to cough up blood as he fell to the ground. Jones clinched the wound in a desperate attempt to survive, though the life from his eyes eventually faded away and his lifeless body fell to the ground. The woman exhaled and placed the blade back into its sheath. She disguised herself once again and looked at the camera with a satisfied expression on her face.

I was just about to leave the room in order to meet up with the girl, though before I could the sound of alarms echoing throughout the facility. I started to look around the security room to see what had caused the system to go off. No buttons were pressed that could possibly trigger the alarm systems so how in the world did the security get set off.

Before I could determine what I should do I got a message from the mute herself. _"There was a security chip that was planted in Jones alerted the security team about his death. We have to leave now."_ For a second I wondered if the woman had known about this, though I figured that it didn't even matter at this point. All I wanted to do was get out of this place before we wound up being prisoners here.

Various security members could be seen wandering around the hallways in order to see what the commotion was all about. I started to walk as fast as I could without attracting attention. So far I couldn't see the woman anywhere, though locating her would prove to be quite the challenge as she could be disguised as anyone in the building.

Though just as I was about to search through the hallway that led to the cell of Jones, I felt someone tap onto one of my shoulders. I jumped and turned around to face the person, though due to the fact that Neo's eyes were two different colors I was able to tell who she was in an instant. "Come on. Let's get out of here." I said as the two of us started to head on over towards the door.

None of the guards noticed us as we made our escape through the facility. Soon enough, we found ourselves standing outside the facility and I was standing near the walls with a rather perplexed expression. The woman dropped her disguise and picked up the container that held the money that I was owed for helping her obtain the information she needed.

 _"Here. Your payment."_ She held out the box.

"Thanks." I was still rather taken aback by the whole situation and the woman seemed to have noticed this.

 _"Is something the matter? We were able to handle that plan without anyone knowing we were there in the first place. You should be happy that everything turned out okay."_ Neo said with her arms crossed.

"That's just it. I've never been in an operation where everything went according to plan. It all feels so surreal. I was sure that we would run into trouble once the alarms went off." I explained.

She merely let out a silent chuckle before responding. _"Not surprising since you let two kids handle the planning. I've had years to think of every little detail about this day."_

"Did you know about the chip that was planted in the neck of Jones?" I questioned.

 _"There was no getting around that. Removing it would have taken too long. I needed to get the information I needed as fast as humanly possible. There was no room for error."_ She explained.

As much as that would have been nice to know beforehand, I suppose it doesn't really matter since it wouldn't have changed the plan all that much. Still, it was nice to complete a job without complications getting in the way of things. I grabbed onto the box and opened it in order to retrieve the reward. I grabbed each slip of money and gave her the wooden box.

 _"I suppose I should thank you for your help. Though we really need to get past this language barrier."_ The message said.

Much to her surprise, I merely dismissed her suggestion. "Wouldn't really be much use. I'm not going to be sticking around in the capital for very long." I said in a rather serious tone of voice.

A look of disappointment could be seen on the woman's face. _"Is that so? Shame. You were proving to be quite interesting."_ Various vehicles belonging to the Vale Police Force could be seen driving down the street in order to investigate the scene.

 _"It's been fun though. Good luck out there, you'll need it. It's a dangerous world out there after all."_ Once she said her goodbyes, the two of us proceeded to go our separate ways.

 _ **...**_

"Where in the hell is she?!" Roman Torchwick asked himself while pacing around the warehouse near the docks of the Industrial District. His right hand had been gone for quite some time and he was starting to get worried with all the police activity in the city. Though just as he was considering his options, he heard the metallic door to the warehouse open. He spun around to see his partner walking into the building with a serious expression on her face.

"You should have said something before you left." He said sternly as his right hand closed the door to the warehouse.

She merely rolled her eyes and started to use sign language as she walked over to the man. _"I'm not a kid anymore. I don't need anyone's protection."_ She said with a rather annoyed look on her face.

"Is that right? So what exactly were you doing while you were out? Taking in the sights?" The man knew just why his partner had gone out today, though he was giving her a chance to come clean.

Though from the looks of it, she wasn't about to be honest with her Uncle just yet. _"I was just running a few errands. I'm twenty years old now. I don't need anyone's permission to go out into town."_

"Oh is that right? Would these so-called _errands_ have anything to do with this?" Roman proceeded to turn on the television that was on the far right side of the room. The screen showed a reporter standing outside the Vale Correctional Facility.

 _ **"We're reporting to you live outside the Vale Correctional Facility! A prisoner who was supposed to be transferred to His Majesties Prison Service was found dead in his cell. The police have identified the man as Jones, a man who was arrested for a wide number of crimes eight years ago. The staff is currently being questioned on the whereabouts of the suspect behind his death."**_ Before the man could continue to report on the situation, Roman turned off the television and turned around to face his niece.

She showed no signs of denying or confirming his suspicions so he decided to press on further. "Isn't it just a real coincidence that Jones, the one man you've been dying to questions winds up dead while you're out doing these so-called _errands_?"

 _"He was about to be transferred to the maximum security prison."_ Her signs said to the man.

"So you were the one who killed him! Goddamnit, I had that handled!" Now his anger was starting to boil over.

 _"Really now?! How exactly were you going to handle that?! He was going to be transferred to one of the most heavily guarded prisons in the entire world today!"_ Her face showed anger since she wasn't able to convey it with her voice.

"You can't just go and kill someone like that without the proper planning! There has to be a certain level of discretion involved here!" Roman desperately attempted to get through to his niece though nothing he said seemed to matter to her.

The woman merely glared at the man before formulating her response. _"Doing something is better than doing nothing at all. The man was the scum of the earth. I'm sure the police won't even bother with his investigation for long."_

Every word that was conveyed through her hands only frustrated the man further. "I told you that I would handle it. We would interrogate him ourselves and get as much information out of him as we could."

Rather than giving him a reasonable response, the woman only conveyed someone's name through her hands. "Johnathan Steel?"

 _"That the man who orchestrated it all. He runs a company in the Kingdom of Atlas. I was able to get that out of Jones before I took his life."_ The name stuck to the mind of the mute like glue.

"We could have gotten more out of him."

 _"I got all I needed. All I wanted was the name of the man behind it all. Nothing else matters. Everyone else is irrelevant."_ Her expression was serious and her eyes showed no signs of regret for her actions.

Roman merely sighed and started to bury his hands in his face. "I suppose you were able to get a name out of him." He saw no point in arguing with his niece further so he decided to drop the subject.

 _"So what are we gonna do now?"_ She had already suspected the answer that he would give her, though she wanted to be sure that her suspicions were correct.

"We continue to steal as much weaponry as we can. That's what our employer has instructed us to do. Though right now we should stick close to the ground." The woman frowned at the response though it was one she suspected none the less.

 _"I figured as much."_ Her hands said to the criminal.

 _ **...**_

Various people were walking down the streets of Vale in order to go about their day to day lives. The districts were bustling with activity and the students who had spent all year training to become warriors were greeted with a well-deserved break. Though there was still work to be done over at Beacon Academy, as the staff had to prepare to greet the next generation of warriors that were just around the corner.

Perhaps I could speak with Weiss once again, though hopefully, the job wouldn't take that long. I would like to get out of here before the Vytal Festival for obvious reasons I shouldn't have to explain. I could see the house in the distance and Maralyn could be seen standing on the front porch with a rather eager expression on her face. She started to run through the streets of the residential district once I turned around the corner of the road.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" She shouted.

"Is something wrong?"

Maralyn merely shook her head in a vigorous manner before responding. "No! Nothing is wrong! Nothing at all! I just need to speak with you right now. Let's head on inside the house." She seemed rather out of breath and sweat could be seen on her forehead.

The woman had been searching around the town for quite some time now and I had a suspicion on what she was so eager to talk about. "Let's go then." The two of us proceeded to enter the house in order to speak in private about the situation at hand.

"So what's going on?" I questioned once she closed the door to the house.

"We found him." Was all that she said.

I stood there in silence for a few moments as I was processing the information that had just left the woman's mouth. "Are you serious? You found him?" I asked in a rather perplexed manner.

The woman nodded her head before responding. "We found where Merlot was hiding." The sentence seemed too surreal and lingered in the air for a brief moment. We had been working towards this goal since the very beginning.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"He's near the ocean outside the Forever Fall Forest. Figures he would operate close to the capital city. It's the perfect place to test out his experiments." Everything was starting to fall into place now.

She seemed to be rather serious when it came to confronting the man this last time. "This is it! We're going to stop this man once and for all! Everyone who died back at Mountain Glenn will be able to rest in peace now!"

Despite that though, I can't say that I can share this rather nice moment with her. "Does Velvet know that he's been found?" I'm sure she would like to know that the man who had caused her so much grief was about to answer to his crimes.

"I told her about. As well as the rest of team CFVY." She answered.

Now there was only one thing left to do before she made her way through the Forever Fall Forest. "So I guess this is it. The job is done now." I said to the woman with serious intent.

She nodded her head before pulling out some card that she had in her wallet. "Here you are. The payment you were promised. One Million Lien right here in this card." I grasped onto the rectangular board and started to examine it.

There was a bittersweet feeling in the air once I realized that I had no reason to stay here now that the job was over. "You know I'm not staying here." Judging by the expression on her face, she wasn't exactly looking forward to having this conversation.

"I figured as much." The woman sat down on the sofa in the living room. "So where will you go now? It's a big world out there." I sat next to her on the sofa with a serious look.

"Not sure. Haven't thought that far ahead yet. I suppose I'll figure it out as I go along." All I knew is that I couldn't stay in the Kingdom of Vale.

The woman let out a sigh before getting up from the sofa in the living room. "I should probably go. The rest of the staff are waiting near the entrance to Forever Fall. We might not get another opportunity like this."

"Don't worry. I understand. Not really one for goodbyes myself." I got up from off of the sofa and turned to face her. "Good luck out there." Maralyn nodded and held out her right hand.

I stared at it for a few moments and grasped onto it. "You too. Stay safe and make sure you stay in contact." I let go of her hand and started to move towards the stairs in order to start packing for the trip to come. Just as I reached the top of the stairs I could hear the door close and the lock turning. I suppose this would be the last time I would see the Huntress for the time being. I opened the door to the guest room and started to gather what things I had.

As I rummaged through the room in order to pack everything into the travel sack I owned I started to question whether or not leaving was the right course of action. The only reason I was even leaving this place was to survive. Though is there a possibility that I could survive the Fall of Beacon? I have abnormal powers that most people don't even know exist, perhaps I could use that to gain an advantage of sorts.

Still, I'm not about to bet on the possibility of survival. At least when I leave I know that I won't be one of the victims listed in the memorial. Though even I couldn't deny that I felt a little guilty about leaving with knowing what I know. I was just about to put the last belonging into the bag until I heard a knock at the door. It clearly wasn't Maralyn as she would have just simply used her house key to unlock the door.

Perhaps it was Yatsuhashi or Velvet, maybe even Mercury or Emerald. Even I wasn't sure though at least I'll be able to say goodbye to whoever is at the door. I owe them that much.

I placed down the bag and started to head down the stairs in order to answer the door. Though once I opened the door, I saw the last person I could have ever suspected standing on the front porch to the house.

Right there in all his glory stood the man who has inflicted so much suffering onto the world we live in.

Victor Merlot.

Half of the man's body was made out of machinery. His hair showed signs of his old age and he wore a white lab coat with the Merlot Industries Uniform underneath. "Hello there. Terribly sorry, I've been pushing this meeting aside for far too long now."

I wasn't even able to formulate coherent words in order to respond to the man's statement. How was he even here in the first place?! Why was he putting himself at risk by being out in the open like this?

The man started to caress his beard once I took too long to respond. "I suppose that is a natural reaction. Informing you ahead of time would prove to be quite difficult." He informed.

"Inform? I don't understand." I didn't understand anything about this situation.

"You know, it's actually quite fortunate that you survived the blast at the old building. It's not every day you meet someone with such an extraordinary gift." He explained as the wind around us started to pick up.

He must be reffering to Shade. "You're here for the power." Once the initial surprise of the situation eventually passed I stared at the man with one of the nastiest glares I could possibly muster.

The man merely shook his head in response. "You're not wrong. Though that's not the full truth behind the matter." He answered. "You are a most interesting specimen. It would be a shame to let you go to waste."

Nothing this man said made any form of sense though right now I couldn't care less. "You made a huge mistake when you decided to come here." I started to manifest Shade in order to prepare for combat.

"Please. I do not wish to fight you." He held out his hands in hopes to defuse the situation though I wasn't having any of it.

"Shut the hell up you goddam mad man!" I shouted as Shade swung his fist in hopes to strike down the man. Though much to our surprise, the doctor caught the Knights armored fist before it could strike him.

Merlot merely let out a sigh as Shade disappeared from sight. "...That shouldn't be possible." I commented once the weight of the situation started to sink in.

"Acquiring subjects for experimentation proved to be a bit of a challenge once the main facility was destroyed. Though you know how the saying goes." He started to enter the house with a rather unsettling presence following him.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

 _ **...**_

The Forever Fall was a forest filled with trees with bright red leaves and pitch black branches. It was quite a beautiful sight and people from all over the world would come to explore such a beautiful set of woods. Though despite the beautiful sights that were scattered all around the forest, there were various monsters that lurked around in the woods.

Some of the staff over at the Huntsmen School of Beacon Academy wandered the woods in order to search for the man known as Victor Merlot. The Headmaster had managed to trace the signal back to its source and now the team was moving in to eliminate the man before he could initiate his dastardly plan onto the capital city. Monsters of various kinds attempted to stop the group, though each warrior was able to dispatch them with relative ease.

Once the team was able to reach the edge of the forest a ship with the Merlot Industries brand could be seen in the waters that raged on beneath the stone surface. The place looked completely abandoned and there wasn't a single guard in sight. "So this must be the place." Oobleck pulled out the tracking device that Ozpin had given to him before the group had left for the forest.

The device showed a red dot that indicated where the signal had come from and it seems that the group had finally closed in on the man. "Over there. It's one of the Merlot Industries logos. No doubt about it, this is definitely the place where he's hiding." Maralyn said while pointing over at the symbol on the side of the boat. Her heart was starting to race and she could feel her blood start to boil as she thought confrontation she was about to have with the man.

"It seems rather unguarded. You'd think Merlot would want to guard his research with the highest security there is." Glynda pointed out.

"You're right. You'd think that the madman would want to keep his creations and research protected. Are you certain these are the coordinates to the signal?" Port questioned with a rather curious expression on his face.

"Without a doubt. The Headmaster and I have been narrowing down this signal for weeks now. This is without a doubt the source of the transmission that was broadcasted in the former company building." The Historian said while adjusting his glasses.

Glynda and Port decided to take the word of the man and the headmaster though there was still a hint of doubt lingering. "You are familiar with the actions of Victor Merlot. Do you have a possible explanation behind this behavior?" The woman paid no attention to the banter that was going on between the staff members and started to head on over towards the boat.

She sighed in response though followed the woman down to the boat none the less. Despite not contributing to the conversation she did find it rather strange that the boat would be left unguarded like this. He was too out in the open and the boat was too small to hold the required amount of equipment needed to do multiple experiments. Yes, there was something strange going on.

Various crates could be seen on the other side of the boat and the entrance to the interior of the ship was wide open for anyone to walk on inside. She started to scan the area in search traps though as far as she could tell there wasn't a single thing guarding the vessel. "Do you see anything on the other side?!" Oobleck shouted over to her from the around the corner.

"Just a bunch of crates! The door leading to the lower deck of the boat is open!" She wondered just why Victor would leave the front hatch to the boat open like this. Not only that though for what reason would he chose to operate so close to the Huntsmen Academy? Everything about the man's behavior seemed rather strange though it has been a decade since she last confronted the man. Perhaps the solitude and the failures of the past drove him further into madness.

"Now why in the world would he leave the entrance to his laboratory open like this?" Port questioned.

The group stood in front of the entrance to the boat with each combatant holding his or her respective weapon. The tension in the air became all the more prevalent as the situation became more unusual than ever before. Oobleck pulled out the tracking device though stared at it with a rather puzzled expression on his face. "Now that is rather peculiar." He commented which was the last thing the group wanted to hear right now.

"Is something the matter?" Port questioned.

"According to the tracking device, the signal isn't coming from the boat." The air fell stiff once this was revealed and no one was really certain as to how to respond to the Historians statement.

"You're sure this is the case?!" She had suspected that something was wrong ever since she had heard that the Headmaster was able to locate the transmission that Victor Merlot used in the main company building.

The man nodded his head once he was absolutely certain there wasn't something wrong with the device he had created. "According to the tracking device, the signal originated from over there." He pointed over at a metal crate that was near the ocean waters.

"You must be joking! Do you mean to say that the man we have been searching for has been hiding out right under our noses this whole time?!" Glynda couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"It is rather strange. You'd think we would notice activity near the campus territory. Yet somehow this man was able to remain hidden for nearly ten years now." Oobleck attempted to piece together this puzzle.

"Though somehow he was made a critical mistake." Maralyn crossed her arms and started to ponder on possible answers that could explain the situation.

Port decided to speak up in hopes to shed some light on the situation. "But isn't this a good thing? Now we can bring this dastardly man to justice!" His tone was as jovial and optimistic as ever.

"Why now though? He's close to achieving his goal."

"Perhaps he just made a simple mistake?" He proposed but the woman merely shook her head in response to the suggestion.

"It's unlikely. He'd be more cautious than ever now that he's close to completing the final product. To make a critical error like this just seems out of the blue." She explained to the team.

Oobleck came to a sudden realization. "Unless he did this on purpose." The Historian said under his breath.

"Did you say something, Bartholomew?" Port questioned.

"Search every inch of this place! Do not leave a single stone unturned!" Everyone stared at the man with rather confused expressions though decided to listen to the orders he had issued out. Every square inch of the boat was searched, including the crates and the forest outside. Though no matter how thoroughly the place was searched, there wasn't a single sign that anyone had been here.

Everyone rendezvoused back to the entrance to report the situation to one another. "There wasn't a single sign of anyone outside the forest. The flora has been undisturbed for what seems like years now." Port said.

"The boat didn't hold any cargo. It's still fully operational so someone's been keeping it in repair. It must have arrived here fairly recently." Glynda deduced.

"All I found in the crates was this device." Maralyn pulled out the rectangular console she had discovered in one of the crates. It had a camera on the very top and a large stereo on the very right.

The Historian examined the device for a few moments before eventually coming to the conclusion he had suspected all along. "No mistaking it. This is the transmitter that Merlot used." He revealed.

"We found no signs of the madman though. There must be a mistake." Port and Glynda were in complete disbelief about the current situation.

"He wanted this. He purposely planted the device in a place that would be away from the capital city though not to close to the Academy Grounds. This was all just to lure us away." She knew the former CEO of the company wouldn't have made such a reckless move without purpose.

Despite that, she still had one question that was left unanswered. "Though I can't understand why. For what reason would he lure us away from the capital city? To stage an attack? He knows we're not the only Huntsmen in the area. There are dozens upon dozens of Huntsmen and Huntresses who will come running. So what does he have to gain from this?" She pondered.

Oobleck continued to examine the device until he noticed something a slip of paper poking out of the hatch in the back. He tugged on the sheet carefully so that he didn't rip it and eventually pulled it out.

"Now what do we have here?" Port stared at the page in a curious manner.

"It's for you." He held out the folded slip of paper to the person it was addressed to.

Maralyn grabbed onto it and saw that her name was written on the laminated page. She opened it up and read the message that was inside. Her pupils shrunk just as she finished reading the message that Merlot had left for her.

 _ **Thank you so much for acquiring such an interesting specimen.**_

"Is something wrong? You look rather ill." Glynda's concerns skyrocketed once she saw the reaction of her fellow staff member.

Now she understood. This wasn't just to lure out the Huntsmen of the Academy. All he was intending to do was to lure her away from the house. The ringtone she had set on her scroll started to go off just before she could warn everyone about the true intentions of the man.

She looked at the caller I.D to see that it was her old co-worker from her days working at Merlot Industries. "Brock?!" The woman shouted.

 _"Maralyn! Thank god! You need to get down here! We have a serious problem!"_

 _ **...**_

Once she arrived at her house her blood went cold despite the heat that was radiating in the air. Her house was engulfed in fire and started to collapse. A small crowd started to gather outside the woman's house with everyone murmuring amongst themselves.

"Dear God," Glynda said in a quiet tone.

"How did this happen?" Port asked.

A familiar voice could be heard throughout the crowd that was forming outside of the burning house. "Do you think Merlot had something to do with it?" Brock walked beside the woman with a serious expression on his face.

"I'm sorry but who are you?" Glynda questioned though it didn't take too long for the seasoned veterans of the group to recognize the man.

"Now I recognize you! Brock was it?!" Port questioned.

The man paid no attention to the two men and only waited for a response. "...It's him." The man closed his eyes and started to growl once he realized that he was not quite finished with the antics of the madman.

"Why though?! He has nothing to gain by burning down your house!" He was just as confused as Maralyn was before she managed to figure out the reason Merlot had purposely revealed himself.

"He wanted Brandon."

Just those simple words were enough to convey the gravity of the situation. "Though why?! He had nothing to do with what happened ten years ago! For what reason would he have to kidnap him?!" Oobleck asked.

The woman merely started to tap the side of her forehead in response. "Humans are a key factor in creating the serum that is used to mutate the monsters. Using someone with his abilities..."

"...Would create a monster with power beyond comprehension." The group suddenly realized just how dire the situation was now. The entire Kingdom of Vale could be in danger now.

Port started to growl under his breath. "Merlot! We need to locate that man now! He must be brought to justice at once!"

"How exactly do you propose we do that now?! The one lead we had on him is all but gone now! We have nothing!" Glynda and Port started to banter amongst one another before Brock eventually spoke up.

"I know where he is."

The two eventually stopped arguing with each other and turned to face the man. "Pardon?"

"Doctor Merlot. I know where he is. I can show you. All I would need is a map." As it would just so happen, Oobleck carried around a layout of the Kingdom of Vale in his travel bag.

"Right here." He pointed at a rather small island just outside the Lake District.

Once the location of the man was revealed, the Historian shouted despite being so close to his fellow co-workers. "Of course! How could I have been so foolish?! This island was left untouched due to its lack of natural resources! It's the perfect place to hide!"

"I am curious as to how you acquired this information though I suppose that is irrelevant at the moment. We have a location. I will call in an airship to transport us." Glynda pulled out her scroll in order to contact the Academy directly.

Brock stood made his way over to the trunk of his car before pulling out a shotgun and pistol. "Ready when you are."

Maralyn turned around to face her burning house one last time before leaving it with one last thought in her head.

 _"Time to finish this."_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Next Chapter: Old Memories**_


	20. Update and Future Plans

_**So it's been a little over a month since I updated this story so I'm sure you're all wondering why I haven't posted another chapter. I don't want to give you all the impression that I've dropped the story entirely because it isn't the case.**_

 _ **I've still been planning out the events in this story even beyond volume six and soon to be volume seven within the coming month and I want to put these ideas onto paper so you all can see.**_

 _ **But the more I watch RWBY the more I've been losing the passion I once had when I began this story. I still do enjoy the story but not nearly as much as I used to in the past.**_

 _ **I could go hours upon hours when it came to writing this story because I enjoyed the source material very much but now I can barely write a single section without getting bored and wanting to do other things. But I suppose I am partially the one to blame since I was the one who decided to go back and redo the story now that I've had more experience as a writer and going over the same old ground can be tiring.**_

 _ **But then I came to a sudden realization last month which may not be exactly what you all want to hear but you all deserve to know the truth.**_

 _ **I've started to reach burn out on RWBY content.**_

 _ **This doesn't mean I want to drop the story and leave you all with a disappointing ending but forcing out chapters won't do anyone any good since forced chapters mean poorer quality writing. I want to give everyone the best possible story I can possibly give you but it's proving to be rather challenging since I've lost the same passion I once had with the source material.**_

 _ **But I need to work on other projects or else I reach burn out on writing in general which is the last thing I want to happen. I've been creating new content without the constraints with using the source material and it's super refreshing in all honesty.**_

 _ **I know this sounds like I've been absolutely miserable when writing New World Hope but I've still been thinking about ideas and storylines I can use to build a more interesting narrative.**_

 _ **But I need to be passionate about the source material since everything started out as a passion project.**_

 _ **I apologize for keeping you all waiting and I do hope to come back to write down more content but I've been losing the motivation to write New World Hope the more time has passed.**_ _ **Now, I do hope RWBY volume seven will reignite the same passion I had when I began this story but I do have something planned incase the motivation I once had never does return.**_

 _ **Thank you for your time and I do hope to come back to continue posting chapters in the New World Hope story.**_


End file.
